La Femme Vitani
by Simbani
Summary: After being falsely accused of wrekcing Kiara's premier fashion show, the lioness Vitani, is recruited by Pride One, the "...most covert anit-terrorist group in the Serengeti.."
1. Default Chapter

La Femme Vitani

by: Shahn-Ryan Schumacher

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction using the most beloved characters Disney ever created-those from The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. I used them here without permission with no plans to profit from them or take credit for someone else's work, so Disney, DON'T SUE ME!! The same holds true for the La Femme Nikita references which is copyrighted by LFN productions. I tried to keep this as clean as possible, but a PG rating would probably be useful here-and now, on to the hootnanny...

Prologue: I was falsely accused of a hideous crime (OK, so I wrecked a fashion show! Sheesh!) and sentenced to banishment in the Outlands. One night I was removed from my termite- infested exile and taken to Pride One, the most covert anti-terrorist group in the Serengeti. The operatives are tough and ruthless and the bureaucrats running the joint are rough and toothless. If I don't play by their rules, I'm kitty litter for the other lions...

Beginnings-Part 1 (Or: The Zira Imperative-Part 1)

An annoying buzz like that of a million flies filled the air that morning and in my sleep induced haze, I was sure that all hell had broken loose and that the buzzards were on another strafing run of the Pride Lands. Every spring, for as long as I could remember, the abundance of fresh kills in the Pride Lands brought out the worst in a lot of folks; but the buzzards more than most. Now, being just slightly more awake, I popped open one pale green eye towards the offending alarm clock making the ungodly screeching and promptly swatted it across my cave with a quick backhand of my paw and smiled evilly as my ears were greeted with the thud and crunch of metal hitting the wall, glass shattering and then crashing to the floor. I promptly flopped over on my belly intent upon eking out a couple more minutes of coveted sleep when I heard a nails-across-a-chalkboard voice bark out, "Hey Vitani! Why don't you come with us to the presentation?" It was those fateful words that heralded my descent into the shadowy world of Pride One operatives. I stared daggers up through my bangs at the termite brained flea-bag who uttered that statement. See the fellow over there behind me and slightly to my left, no, no not THAT one, the other nutball with blond streaked black shaggy mane, looking like a refugee from cosmetology school-yeah, HIM, that's my friend, Watanabe. The other two boobs are Mesu and Neesa. Anyway, Watanabe may be a couple lions short of a pride, but he's got a good heart-at least that part of it that hasn't been devoured by heart worms. I chucked my pillow at him which caught him full in his frazzled mug and bellowed at him to get out. I dragged myself out of my bed and promptly proceeded to step on my tail which resulted in several loud curses being sent heavenward. Never, never, mess with a lioness's tail first thing in the morning. My uncle Vito made that mistake with a lioness once and came back as my aunt Vida.

Anyway, as I was saying, Watanabe, Mesu, Neesa, and myself had managed to get ourselves wrangled into the unveiling ceremony down at Pride Rock. My sister-in-law was planning to literally "spring" her new spring collection wardrobe on us that she had assembled. Although it was never stated one way or the other, I would have sworn her main reason for doing it was to impress all of the high fashion hob-nobbers in the Pride Lands. Yep, you heard right. Dear old Kiara had finally found her niche; and in the fashion industry no less, or rather, what passed for fashion in the Pride Lands. She was our ONLY fashion designer, thank the Great Kings, because, somehow, in a place where earth tones are the rule, I just couldn't see the herds all wearing mauve and chartreuse.

I gathered my long tresses into a ponytail and clipped back my bangs and slid into my favorite everyday outfit of bright green sports bra and fawn colored spandex shorts and Puma brand sneakers. I sauntered out of my cave to scads of catcalls and a few pleasantly surprised, raised eyebrows. I was basking in the light of another beautiful morning in the Pride Lands, carpeted in thick emerald grass. I hadn't had the opportunity to draw hardly a breath when I was immediately sat upon by a large helping of unsolicited fashion (or lack thereof) advice. My friend Neesa is a self-proclaimed expert at any and everything, but I haven't had the heart to tell her she knows even less about fashion than Kiara does, and THAT'S saying something. 

"Vitani, I can't honestly believe you, of all the lionesses in the Pride Lands, would wear a sports bra to your sister-in-law's big unveiling! I mean, you're siblings with the next queen!" That's old Neesa for ya, always looking out for number one all the while making you think it's you she's interested in.

"Hey," I replied, "you know me, I've always preferred comfort to style and to tell you the truth, as long as it feels good going on, it could be a thong bikini made from a hyena's hide and I wouldn't care. Besides, the sports bra helps to reduce jiggle and bounce."

Looking as though I had just stripped naked and performed the mating ritual, she replied, shocked, "Honey, I think you're missing the whole point of having breasts."

Needless to say, I shot her a look that would have felled a stampeding wildebeest at twenty paces. She chose to stay silent, and I thought, wisely so.

The whole affair wouldn't have been so bad, really, if we had been seated further back in the assembled crowd of gawkers and gapers. However, with Kiara's mate Kovu being my brother, I was naturally blessed with front row seating which I was sure was intended, on Kovu's part, as an untried form of torture. As cubs, we were always trying to get one over on the other and if that was his plan today, it was working. The garish colors were stomach-turning enough as it was, so I didn't see any point in leading any further assault on my senses by being seated front and center. Now this is the point of the story when everything falls apart. Lions, it is well known, have a certain style and poise, but have YOU ever tried to get an odd assortment of hippos, rhinos and elephants to parade gracefully? It was a ready made disaster looking for a place to happen; and wouldn't you know, if it was going to happen, then naturally I'd be somewhere in the vicinity?

The air was full of the buzz of whispered conversation and after a short time, Kiara timidly makes her way out across the promontory of Pride Rock dressed like a refugee from a florist's shop. I'm sorry, but that flowered hat made her look like a reject from the film "Invasion of the Lion Snatchers." She starts to speaks in a timid squeaky voice that belies her excitement (and I think she had a touch of laryngitis) and announces the new spring collection. An upbeat jungle tempo starts playing and then out they come. It is as this point that I wish to state now and for the record that elephants, hippos, and rhinos all in go-go boots are like oil and water. Come on, folks!! They just DON'T mix! It also doesn't help that one of the elephant models, Miss Fannie Double-X-Large is deathly afraid anything that is associated with the color blue. For reasons which aren't understood, she's positively terrified of anything, and I mean ANYTHING, blue. Rumor has it that a one time bad make-up job with some indelible blue eyeshadow was to blame, but I digress.

Zazu, the king's majordomo, is starting to show his age and has taken his nephew, Snafu, under his wing literally as a majordomo-in-training. He means well, but Snafu is as dense as an early morning fog in the Pride Lands and wet beneath the tail feathers. As emcee for the unveiling, naturally he's late and as luck would have it, he zips in right directly eye level with Fannie's line-of-sight.

She LOST it.

Fannie rears up and the train of her dress and its matching scarf start writhing like a creature possessed; flying up over her head showing off her rainbow striped bloomers. The sight alone was enough to start everyone immediately scattering to the four winds and even I thought I had better duck and run for cover. Fannie's fellow models all get up in arms while poor Snafu tries to navigate a jungle of writhing elephant, hippo, and rhino limbs. In her hysteria, Fannie manages to become a parti-colored whirlwind kicking up some good sized rocks and randomly flinging them at folks. Kiara, who's just finished picking her jaw and her sanity off the ground, ran out into the middle of the fray trying unsuccessfully to salvage the remains of what quickly devolved into a fashion emergency. Shredded material was lying in tatters everywhere and she hugged the pieces to herself wailing, "My poor masterpieces! They're ruined! Ruined!!" I silently thanked the Great Kings that we weren't gonna be subjected to those eye sores any longer.

Fannie was still trumpeting her head off incoherently and I looked up to see her stumbling blindly to where a stupefied Kiara was cradling the remains of her fashion nightmares. That thick-hided elephant was so caught up in her garb that she couldn't see and Kiara was about to get trampled within an inch of her life. Granted, our relationship wasn't the smoothest, but Kovu was absolutely smitten with her and I didn't want to see him unhappy. Funny, they say love is blind. In this case, it's also deaf, dumb, and lame in one paw. Still, if Kovu's happy, who am I to judge, right? Right.

Springing to action, I take a running leap and somersault on to Fannie's back to at least try to uncover her eyes. Grabbing the train and scarf in one paw, I was jostled like a leaf in the wind. I was beginning to really enjoy myself and I thought that at the next solstice celebration, we needed to have a ride like this. I reeled myself in and then with one paw free, I managed to free the self-styled shroud from around her head. A constant pummeling with her trunk was the thanks I got for my pains. At that moment, I was thinking how nice it would have been to have a complete new set of elephant hide luggage.

"Knock it off, you mammoth menace to society! I'm on your side, so LAY OFF with the trunk already!!" I got the shroud free from around her eyes and once she could see, Fannie caught one good look at me and started trumpeting up another furore, "Oh, Vitani Lion! You shameless hussy! You Outland trash! Get your paws off me! Help! Somebody, please help!"

She managed to shake me off (and I was glad too-a panicked elephant who's sweating stinks worse than Pumbaa when he's got diarrhea) and as I hit the ground, I tried to roll with it and collided into Kiara who was still sobbing about her ruined fashion show. I tried reassuring her and cajoling her into moving because any second, we'd both be elephant cushions. Why is it, when someone's upset, moving them is like trying to move Pride Rock? It's impossible! I snagged Snafu by the tailfeathers and got him to help me to try to move the princess as Fannie continued ranting and raving until she slipped on the shreds of her dress. That hysterical elephant began stumbling wildly all over the promontory. Straining, Snafu and I managed to drag Kiara away, who had dug her claws in the rock in an attempt to hold on. With her finally at a safe distance, Snafu and I began to beat a hasty retreat ourselves. However, never one to pass up an opportunity to give himself a pat on the back for what he called a job well done, Snafu never saw Fannie's considerable bulk come crashing down on top of him. The big girl was down for the count. Kiara was safe, but Snafu was elephant fodder. I began digging for all I was worth and searched for the little blue terror until I at last located him and managed to extricate him from his trap. I lightly tapped him about the beak a couple of times until he groggily moaned himself awake.

"Hey, bananabeak," I asked, "Who am I?"

"It's Mister Bananabeak to you, Outlander," he managed weakly with a slight grin. At least I knew he'd probably pull through. At last trouble was over or so I thought. Is it just me, or have you noticed how trouble just seems to follow you everywhere?

A small group of the royal guard paraded onto the scene in their royal fawn colored uniforms and bellowed, "Vitani! You are being taken into custody for crimes against the royal family!" I didn't have time to react before a couple of the other lionesses from Simba's personal guard had me bound with my paws behind my back.

"Hey!" I growled, "Get off! I was only trying to help!"

"Save it for the judge, sweetheart."

"If it weren't for me, Kiara would be kitty pancakes right now!"

"Sure, sure, honey...THAT'S what they all say."

I tried to struggle against my captors and probably would have made a clean break if at the moment I ducked and took off, I hadn't tripped over my shoe laces which had come untied. I slipped and the lot of us went down in a tangle a of fawn colored fur and tails. I rolled free, sprang back and began to make a break for it when I heard a solid "THUNK!" from somewhere near the back of my skull. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was seeing all of the pretty, multi-colored stars. You know, I wasn't aware that stars came in shades like "ultraviolet" and "electric blue"?

* * *

"I'm Leonidas Preh-Datoor, reporting to you live from Pride Rock which was the scene of this afternoon's 'Fashion Ramble in the Bramble'. As you can see from this pre-recorded footage that we at the PLBC have obtained, the lioness Vitani is seen here disrupting the unveiling of the Princess Kiara's spring collection which nearly resulted in the death of Snafu the hornbill and that of the Princess herself. Vitani was taken into custody and was taken to Pride Pen penitentiary to await her trial. Our leading correspondent, Rindimo Cheetah, who is a foremost authority on leonine mating habits and the art of doom, has this to say. Rindimo?

"Wow! That Vitani is one REALLY hot babe! I, uh, oh, ahem. It's a sad state of affairs Leonidas and obviously Vitani must be persecuted, uh, I mean prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But it wasn't a complete loss. I just can't imagine all the herds wearing mauve and chartreuse in a place where earth tones are the rule. And Vitani, if you're watching this, can I have you number, pleeeeaassseee? Back to you , Leo!"

"There you have it, folks. Vitani Lion, is she a saint? Or, is she a fashion shattering disaster? This is Leonidas Preh-Datoor live at Pride Rock reporting for PLBC news. Goodnight." 

I flicked off the TV disgustedly. It just wasn't fair! I was innocent. If anything, I had saved the Pride Lands from Kiara's fashion nightmares, kept her from becoming elephant fodder and had ended up in the pen. I flicked my bangs back out of my eyes and sighed. The real surprise was seeing Rindimo as a news commentator. It wasn't beneath him to try whatever means it may have taken to seduce the pride, but this was a new one on me. I had heard he had a thing for hard women which would explain his sudden interest in me. Personally, I've always regarded him as a few spots short of a leopard, but now, I don't know. You gotta admit, he has a kind of charm that I admit I find appealing. I made a mental note to look him up as soon as I got out of the loony bin. I know, I know, you're thinking a lioness with a cheetah? But I am a woman with needs and Rindi was available. And being in the pen meant that I was at something of a loose end. I glanced out the high placed window and noticed that night had fallen. I padded down for the evening on the straw that I had been provided and gazed up at the stars. Feeling my lids growing heavy I was almost certain I saw one star wink at me before sleep overtook me.

* * *

If you ever have the misfortune of ending up at the Pen, and they tell you that one size fits all, DON'T you believe it! The zebra suit that they saw fit to stuff me in was about ten sizes too small. Not to toot my own horn, I mean I've always looked good in anything, stripes being no exception, but this uniform was so tight it was riding up into cracks and body crevices I didn't even know I had. The buttons were straining over my cleavage and I got an embarrassing case of T.H.O. while the legs had a firm hug on my calves. I could take no more than shallow breaths without irreversible consequences. If I even dreamt about bending over, the zebra suit would slice me cleanly in two. Needless to say, the catcalls from some of the other inmates didn't help my attitude. 

"Aw, take a picture, you MORON!! It'll last longer!" was my reply to one guy who kept sending up wolf whistles. If I could have gotten my paws around his throat, I'd have ripped out his voice box.

The guards were real pieces of work too. My legs were chained so I couldn't get away and my paws were bound behind my back. This meant that I couldn't use my claws, which were my pride and joy, as a means of escape. I can't speak for the other lionesses, but as Simba had pardoned all of us Outlanders from his Pride the first time and welcomed up back home, I had made quite a name for myself as a huntress. The herds would literally soil their shorts at the sight of me and my razor sharp blood red painted claws. I took almost as much care of my claws as I did the rest of my bod. However, any attempt to escape would have fubarred anyway-to add insult to injury, they got to me with their claw-clippers. Add to that the muzzle they stuck over my snout to shut me up and I looked like a bona fide kook from Loons-R-Us. I severely wanted to hurt somebody. Helpless against my captors, I allowed myself to be paraded off in front of the judge.

* * *

"Hussy!"

"Outland trash!"

"Harlot!"

"Fashion illiterate!"

"Hey, sex kitten!! Over here!"

The calls greeted me from all over as I was marched to the defendant's box in the court. Just to cause a ruckus and to get under the jury's collective skins, at that last call I swished my tail sexily, winked my eyed, and licked one claw and stuck it to my hip making a sizzling sound with my mouth for all the guys in the court. Boy, you couldn't hear yourself think for thud of jaws hitting the floor. One dear old leopardess swallowed her dentures as a result, which lodged in her throat and caused her to asphyxiate. Oh well, I guess we can just add assault with a deadly weapon to my rap sheet. I knew I had a killer sashay, but this was beyond ridiculous. 

The judge was a wildebeest who wore one of those silly white powdered wigs that you see in the movies. The courtroom was packed full of the denizens of the Pride Lands. Simba and Nala, of course, were watching the proceedings and their expressions gave nothing away. Kovu looked as though he was miles away and Kiara just sort smiled weakly at me and waved. All of them were dressed conservatively, but I couldn't help notice how good Kovu was looking. His mane hung luxuriously around his head and shoulders and his black suit and white shirt with mandarin collar accentuated his muscular frame. I caught his eye over the top rim of his dark shades and he shot me a reassuring smile. He was my younger brother, but he always managed to cheer me up. I was lost in the thought of happier times in our cubhood when my reverie was broken by the sound of the doors opening at the back of the courtroom. A walking heap of papers rushed in like a whirlwind and a familiar voice greeted me as the disheveled mess passed, "Good morning, gorgeous!" I saw a flash of spots and a tail and before I could utter a sound...

"Rindimo Cheetah, court reporter at your service! Are you all right Vitani? Can I get you anything? Book? Drink? Five minutes alone in my cave with my hot tub?" That goofy cheetah was grinning from ear to ear and was wearing a teal sports jacket with the sleeves rolled up and shades propped up on his head. I slapped my forehead with my paw and sank back into my chair. It was going to be one hell of a long day.

* * *

"Your honor, I was merely showing off the latest fashion designed by Princess Kiara, when this, this, this hussy leapt on my back and started clawing at my hide. I realize that seems trivial but elephant skin is extremely sensitive and to achieve this level of silky smoothness I've had to moisturize no less than ten times a day..."

"Vitani is my sister-in-law and our relationship hasn't always been easy, but that day on the promontory, she saved my life. And Kovu loves his sister very much."

"In your opinion, princess, was the whole affair staged by Vitani to discredit you?"

"No. No, I don't think so."

"So what you're saying is, it isn't at all possible that she started this fiasco ir order to discredit you and possibly kill you, so that she could have a shot at the throne?"

"Um, uh..."

Poor Kiara started to waffle before she burst into tears, "But she SAVED my life!!" Kiara was dismissed and went wailing out of the courtroom. I noticed that Rindimo was stuck between fighting with the stenograph machine and gawping at me and had managed in the process to get thoroughly tangled in his already printed notes. I sank even lower into my chair. Things were getting worse.

Kovu was up next followed by Snafu and both spoke in my defense. I thought I stood a good chance of being released, but something went wrong. Zazu hurried over to the king and queen who excused themselves quietly. Shortly thereafter, he asked for permission to approach the judge who then called for a ten minute recess. I didn't like what was going on and a sick feeling started gnawing at the pit of my stomach. I looked over to see Kovu comforting Kiara who had returned to the courtroom. The judge came back in and asked for the jury's decision and while the foreman of the jury was droning on, I hazarded a glance about the courtroom. The mixture of looks ran from deep hatred, sympathy to the raw lust that dripped off Rindimo's face. I allowed myself to snicker at that; Again I thought, When this nightmare is over, I'll give him the best five minutes his hot tub has ever seen. And I'll even throw in complementary bubble bath.

At last the foreman of the jury stood to give the judgment of the rest of the jurors. A hush fell on the court, settling like a heavy fog as my fate awaited to be announced.

"Your honor," the old baboon intoned, "In the case of The People versus Vitani, we find the defendant, Vitani, guilty as charge and opt for the maximum sentence."

My jaw dropped and my eyes must have bugged out of my head. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! The courtroom started to buzz with excitement. Pounding the bench with his gavel, the judge passed sentence.

"Vitani, on the charges of disrupting the royal fashion show and making an attempt on Princess Kiara's life, you have been found guilty and I hereby sentence you to banishment in the Outlands! As you're no stranger to the Outlands, you should have no trouble in surviving out in those desolate wastes. And this time, there is NO possibility of return to the Pride Lands!" He banged his gavel and stood to leave.

"Guards," he bellowed, "Take her from this court!"

Kiara fainted dead away and the last thing I remember before I was swiftly rushed at a hurried pace out of the courtroom was Pumbaa (who had also attended with Timon to lend moral support) passing gas as he fainted. That's why we were rushed...

* * *

I stood at the river's edge and looked at the desolate wasteland where I'd grown up. Shortly after Simba's return when I was a cub, we'd been banished to the Outlands and now I was returning, for good, to my adopted cubhood home. Kovu and Kiara came out to say their goodbyes, but the guards blocked them from reaching me. Kiara, said, "Don't give up hope. Dad can overrule this. We'll talk to him."

"Don't bother, " I said feeling surprisingly touched by the sentiment, "Simba has more important things to worry about than saving my mangy hide."

"Vitani, one more thing," Kiara started, "Thank you, for saving my life. I'll always be grateful."

"It was nothin'."

"Hang in there, sis."

"You too, bro. You too."

We were allowed to hug each other goodbye at Kiara's insistence before I was forced onto the prisoner barge as it only occupant apart from the ferryman. I looked back over my shoulder, my tresses blowing in the light evening breeze. I quickly turned back around, not wanting them to see the tears that had started to well up in my eyes. Angrily I blinked them away and before I knew it, we had arrived at my new home...the Outlands.

The End-Part 1


	2. La Femme Vitani: Beginnings Part 2

La Femme Vitani

by: Shahn-Ryan Schumacher

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction using the most beloved characters Disney ever created-those from The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. I used them here without permission with no plans to profit from them or take credit for someone else's work, so Disney, DON'T SUE ME!! The same holds true for the La Femme Nikita references which is copyrighted by LFN productions. I tried to keep this as clean as possible, but a PG rating would probably be useful here-and now, on to the hootnanny...

Beginnings--Part 2 (OR: The Zira Imperative-Part 2)

I grit my teeth together as the prison barge landed on the shore of the Outlands. There was no fanfare, no announcement; hell, there wasn't so much as a map with an "X" on it stating, "You are here." Oh well, so much for hospitality. The ferryman let the plank down and I moped my way down it stopping just short of the end. I knew that the second I stepped off the plank, I was trapped in the Outlands for good. 

"My kingdom awaits," I muttered under my breath. However, before I could set paw into my new home, the ferryman grabbed the plank out from under me and I landed face down in the mud. The reddish-brown goo stunk to high heaven and proceeded to lodge itself in my bangs, nostrils and mouth. I scrambled back up and turned back to face the ferryman who was doing his best to hot-foot it back across the river. I bellowed at the top of my lungs, "Thanks a LOT, Captain Dimwit!! I'll have you know I prefer meat pies to mud pies and I'll never get this$%*@! out of my bangs!!!" The old fart just kept rowing the ferry back to the Pride Lands, but I heard him yell back, "You wrecked Kiara's fashion show, so why should you care if your looks are a wreck? You're a fashion disaster if ever there was one, even more so now than before!" With that statement, I felt my blood pressure rise until steam poured out my ears. Cursing under my breath I found a good sized rock and hefted it in my paw. Now, I can't speak for you, my audience, but do you believe in a conscience? I never gave the matter much thought until I saw a little version of myself propped on my shoulder wearing a dingy white robe and a slightly tarnished halo (leave it to my higher self to be not so holier-than-thou...). I had to blink to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I wasn't. The little rube actually spoke to me. She said, "You know, 'Tani darling, beaning that old fart on the noggin would be kind of fun, but you's gots better things ta do." And wouldn't you know it, the little angel had her opposite of course. I knew I could be a devil when I wanted to, but even I draw the line at a devil suit in extremely form fitting red spandex that shimmers like a ruby with matching stiletto heels. I liked her style though, and her gumption. 

"Aw shucks, toots," she purred at me, "You always have liked going for shock effect and what real harm is that little rock gonna do? If you're gonna do the deed, then MAKE ITGRAND!!" My angel must not have been all that much of an angel, because she just sort of shrugged and disappeared with a poof!, but not before giving me a wink. My devil, well, she swagged her tail at me and then winked as she touched a claw to her hip and made a sizzling noise. She disappeared with more a pop! sound. I stood for just a moment and then my eyes saw it. I dropped the rock I had (and swore mightily as it landed on my paw!! Geez, that REALLYhurts!) and scooped up the small mountain I had just seen. It was weighty, and I starting swingin' it around in a circle to help gain leverage. When I had managed to get a good speed going I let the projectile go sidearm straight towards its intended target. I had kind of suspected that ferryman's head was hollow, but when he got beaned by that rock that I had let fly, my ears were met with a resounding hollow, "CLANG!" He toppled over and took a dive. I gave him a two out of ten for effort, ( I helped him and outside help don't count!) but minus several million for style; just one more sod who became food for the fishes.

I tried to psych myself up for whatever lay before me. I took a deep breath, held it till I started to see spots in my vision and let it out, feeling my spirits sink. To try to get myself out of this funk, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and my bangs (my bangs by this point were hopeless) and said to myself, OK, I can do this. Deciding that I first needed to procure a place to bed down, I climbed the small rise and was greeted by the sight of dozens of termite mounds. I felt a rumbling in my gut and realized that I hadn't eaten in nearly two days, not since the morning of the fashion show. A sudden noise caught my ears and I noticed that just off to my right, the land sloped downward and I heard the noise again. Aha!, I thought, Dinner! I extended my claws, or what was left of them, and crouched low to the ground. The sensation of the thrill of the hunt surged through me and I started to race towards my intended meal. Man, I could taste those warthog chops and my mouth watered more than the river when it floods during the rainy season. Waiting till the last possible moment, I sprang...and damn near scared the life out of a small group of other Outlander lions and feeling suddenly very conspicuous. The group all stopped and stared at me, transfixed. I stood my ground, ready, should the need arise, to make like a banana sundae and split. I've never backed down from a good fight, but even I know when I'm outnumbered. Slowly the group moved forward and I noticed that they all had on the same weird garb, too. Their robes were russet-colored with mauve and silver tassels on the fringes and I could have sworn I heard some whispered, "Hail, Nukas." coming from them. I dismissed it as the fevered rambling of a starved mind and felt another hunger pang hit me dead center in my gut. What really got me were the helmets these guys were wearing on top of their heads. I couldn't be certain, but I swear they were made to look like giant termites. That's just my luck. I'm hungry and I end up almost taking out an entire fruitcake religious cult.

I stayed tense as the group paused just before me and another lioness approached. She was either very brave or stupid or perhaps a little of both. I also noticed that her outfit was a little bit more showy than the rest and at first I thought that they were all rejects from the Las Leonis gambling pride. The fear I saw in her eyes melted away to reveal an intense joy that I found unnerving. She reached out a trembling paw and started to toy with my bangs.

"HEY!" I shouted, "Paws off! That's a new do!" Little miss psycho kitty didn't listen and kept pawing me all over.

"IF you don't stop," I growled low, "I'm gonna stuff that helmet where the sun don't shine, toots." She was just about to get my patented Vitani Jap-Slap when she stopped and turned to address the other lions with awe, excitement and a very pronounced lisp which made all her R's sound like W's, "At long last she has returned to us!" The rest of the group dropped to their knees on that note and the head lioness turned back to face me. Raising her arms heavenwards, she began to chant with that lisp of hers going full blast, "It IS a miracle! Let us join paws and praise Vitani! Praise Vitani! Praise Vitani! PRAISE VITANI!!" All of the lions in the group were bowing and shouting praises. I was speechless.

"That's a little more like it," I finally managed. Aw shucks, a little hero worship never hurt anyone, especially if that someone is me, right? Right. My stomach started rumbling again and I tapped the termite priestess on the shoulder, "I hate to interrupt your little praise fest," I said, "But is there any chance of a well done zebra steak and a baked potato? I'm starved."

* * *

I should have known something was wrong the moment that I saw the termite people's camp. A series of cheap cloth lean-to's were arranged in a rough circle; but it was the statue at the heart of the camp that caused me to stop while my face did about five expressions at once. Before he was killed, Nuka had always dreamed of immortality and schemed to be king. He had likened himself to be cut from the same cloth as Scar; but where as Scar was cut from pure watered silk, Nuka was, well, Nuka was more of a polyester blend. He died with his dream unfulfilled but in a perverse way he had found his immortality with the termite people. I'm sorry, but a twenty foot high statue of him with a crazed expression and a termite helmet on his head is hardly what I would call poetic justice. Yeah, old Nuka finally got to be king all right. According to the inscription at the base of the statue, he was the Almighty, Longsuffering GreatGod Nuka, the Termite King. I'm sort of tempted at this point to say that statue had to have been a deliberate planted distraction designed to throw me for a loop. If that was the case, it worked like a charm. You know, what is it with people conking me on the back of the noggin?

* * *

When I came to, the termite people were dancing around Nuka's statue screaming their heads off and naturally, they've got me tied to a post. My bangs are still matted with mud and the zebra suit's legs have been cut off just above my knees and a load of logs has been piled up against me. My head's throbbing like a mug, and through the throbbing that matches the termite people's chant, I see another statue. I had to blink to make sure I didn't have a concussion! The sight, however, was unmistakable. In twenty foot high carved stone, stood a statue of myself with a club in its paw. I was wondering how in the Great Kings could I have missed that eyesore. The look was all wrong, too. It appeared to have me as emaciated and thin and no boobs! I'm sorry, but I've been told by more than one member of the pride that I've got great boobs and I'd have to agree. I noticed that there was an inscription at the base of the statue and I could just make it out. It read, The Goddess Vitani; Termite Slayer. My guts trembled at the possibility of the horrible prospect that the statue represented. The termite people were dancing and shaking like they'd just been struck by lightening and chanting like they had a class one speech impediment. Sounded a little bit to me like they could have used the services of a good speech pathologist, or at the very least, a dentist. They had me bound with some kind of twine or rough hide straps and when I struggled against it, I only managed to rub my wrists raw. I did, however, feel them start to give a little...

The chanting grew louder until it was a unified chorus, and I could make out the following, "Moan! Groan! Moan! Be bop the termites! Bugs! Ugh! Bugs! We'll kill the termites!" The spaz attack kept on going for a few minutes until it just stopped mysteriously. Compared to the silence that followed, I think I preferred all the chanting and general hullabaloo. The high priestess faced me and lifting her arms shouted, "Oh, great god Nuka, heed our prayers! The goddess Vitani has returned and with her comes victory over the termites..." I interrupted her and shouted, "You could achieve the same results with a can of Bug-Zap bug spray, darling!" I don't think that termite-for-brains bimbo heard me, because she kept on talking and her steel wool-over-silk voice was really grating on my nerves. I REALLY wanted, at this point, to throttle her. 

"We have gathered together to free the Termite Slayer to ascend again to the Great Kings from whence she came. When her soul is once again united with yours, Oh Great Nuka, then may the blessed victory over the termites descend!" There was a lot of hoopin' and hollerin' at this point and I couldn't even hear myself think. But it was that bimbo's next words that really set my teeth on edge, "May Vitani's spirit be set free and speeded to Nuka's side on the tongues of this sacred flame!" Now wait just a Pride Rock minute! There's no way I'm about to let myself become a Vitani-kebab! And besides, I hadn't had time to wash my bangs and apply my heat activated conditioner. The psycho kitty shrieked some more, had another minor apoplectic fit and then tossed the torch she had in her paw on the wood pile surrounding me. It lit up like a Christmas tree. I kept straining against the bonds that were holding me, wincing as the heat and flames from the fire kept creeping closer and closer. I flexed my muscles, feeling the bonds loosen from around my arms. Anxiously, I kept working on them as the group danced around me.

"I hate to send your plans up in smoke," I shouted, "But just you wait till I get outta here! THEN we'll see some fireworks!! And you sister," I said indicating the high priestess, "When I get outta here, I'M GONNA BARBECUE YOUR ASS!!"

I concluded that the bonds must have been an old hide from some poor, long dead, smelly thing, because they finally broke. I tried to take a second to assess my situation. I had two options; 1) Become Vitani pot roast, or 2) Shimmy like I ain't never shimmied before. I decided to shimmy and clawed my way up the pole. Spotting my prey on the ground, I got my balance and somersaulted off the top of the pole to land in the middle of the startled group. I have never been one to be the main course at someone else's dinner; dessert maybe, but NEVER the main course. I threw my head back and roared and then lunged at the nearest loon. I gave him a maniacal grin and then let my paw fly across his scruffy looking snout. Man, that felt good! I felt my spirits lift and I set about kicking me some serious boo-tay. One of the termite people came at me from my left and I sidestepped as he passed me and swung around for another attempt. I planted my feet firmly and met his crazed stare with a steady one of my own. I motioned for him to come at me with my paw and blew a kiss at him mockingly.

"Come and get me, sugar," I trilled seductively. My heart pounded in my chest and my cleavage heaved as I took slow rhythmic breaths. Raising a club, the dumb noodleloaf charged. I held my ground as steady as I could, letting him come closer...closer...closer. At the last possible moment, I twisted my body back as if I were going to claw the fool and let fly with my patented (patent's still pending, actually) Vitani Jap-Slap. He never knew what hit him.

I clasped my paws together so that the claws of both were intertwined and I crooked my claws so that the claws of my left paw were exposed. When the idiot was in range, I swung with all my strength and caught him full in the mug with my claws. Now here's the beauty of the Jap-Slap. It has a second part! I turned my right paw, cupped it slightly and extended the claws on that paw. I swung and made contact, feeling my claws sink into his face. I then yanked as hard as I could back towards myself pulling shreds of flesh away with my paw. Just goes to show that when I want to get under a guy's skin, I REALLY get under a guy's skin. This nutcake was either brain-dead or stupid because after my attack, he just stopped dead. Raising a paw to his face, he pulled it away covered in blood. He sniffled a couple of times and then trudged off sobbing for his mommy. Oh well, that's what you get if you can't play nice with this girl.

I cast a quick glance around me and most of the other lions were staying put. I kept searching till I found Little Miss Number-One-On-Vitani's-Poo-Poo-List. The bimbo priestess was back at the far end of the camp blocking the route back to the river. About a dozen or so of the termite people stood between us and I slowly started towards them, a growl rising in my throat. As I moved forward, a few of the termite people edged forward, but a low snarl made them think twice.

"Attack her! Her sacrifice is required for victory," cried the priestess. They started towards me, but a full fledged roar sent them scattering to the four winds. What I didn't notice was the one fellow who, I later found out, was keeping to the shadows...

At last I was alone, face to face with my enemy. We circled each other until at last I shouted, "Are we gonna dance or fight!? C'mon and make a move already!" She grinned maniacally and grabbing a ceremonial dagger from who knows where, she lisped, "Nuka waits to welcome you with open paws! Ahahaha!!!" I don't know what she had been sniffing, but I figured I could get the same results back home by spiking the water hole. She charged and swung, but I easily dodged her. I brushed my bangs back and said, "Is that all you've got?" Hopping up and down like a demented rabbit, she cackled again and lunged...and caught a paw full of my hair. We went down in a tumble of freshly churned mud. We wrestled in the grime and I felt the wet goo slide into body cracks that I had forgotten even existed. The priestess and I tumbled around and my state of physical fitness gave me the upper hand. I managed to wrangle myself on top of her and was pleased that I managed to pin her down. This was beginning to be more fun than mud wrestling in a thong bikini and I let out a whoop...and got an instant mud facial. That psycho kitty caught me off guard and before I know it, had grabbed another paw full of my hair, jerking my head back painfully. Before I could even think about what was going on, that nutball had taken her dagger and sliced a good three to five inches of my hair off!

THAT did it!

Nobody, but NOBODY, messes with my hair!!

Like my claws, my hair is another part of my pride and joy, so when she did that, I gave her a backhand with my paw that sent her on a one way ticket to la-la land. I was furious now and I stormed over to where I was almost burned at the stake. I grabbed a flaming torch that I found smoldering and decided that I'd shine a little light on this dreary day. I set the entire camp ablaze and watched with a smug smirk on my face as the entire village burned to the ground. Turning on my heel, I stormed off to finally try to start my life, what there was left of it, over again.

* * *

Three Weeks Later-

You know, you don't really appreciate the creature comforts of a hot bath, clean clothes, and plenty of Mane & Tail shampoo till there's none to go around. My fur had gotten matted, my bangs were crusty and looking like I'd stuck my paw in a light socket. Not to mention that being short of my "Musk of the Pride Lands" deodorant didn't help interpersonal relations. My senses must have really been dull, because I didn't even notice Camrath until he was on top of me. I had been subsisting on only the barest essentials that I could scrounge up just to keep body and soul together and didn't have the strength to hardly bat an eyelid. I groggily gazed up at him and asked, "Who the HELL are you?" A smile was the answer that I got in return. Cam looked tough as nails and like he could rip a gal in two merely by looking at her. However, his manner threw me completely when he extended his arm out to help me up from where I was sitting. A low, soft voice spoke to me and there was a hint of bemusement in it that touched a chord in me.

"So, you must be Vitani. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. We've been keeping tabs on you for quite some time now, my dear." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Is that so."

"It is indeed."

"And would you mind telling me just who 'we' are? And how do you know who I am. C'mon, buster I want some answers!" He just smiled at me again, which infuriated me. I tried my best to look mean, but I think I came out looking more like a refugee from the town dump. I noticed him pull some kind of flask from a pocket in the long coat he was wearing and regarded him a little suspiciously when he asked, "Drink?" I just stared at him for a moment before asking, "What's in it?"

"It's only water. And after being out here in this godforsaken hellhole for three weeks, I imagine that you're probably rather thirsty with the lack of decent water out here. I promise you, I won't harm you. Here, I'll have some myself." His voice was hypnotic and I found myself starting to warm to him and feeling a little guilty for being so snappy just moments before. I thanked him and took the water and smiled as I felt it's coolness wash down my parched throat. I handed him back the flask and wiped my mouth on the back of my paw. 

"Look," I said, "Just a few minutes ago when I was short with you, I didn't mean it. I've only just had my whole world turned upside down, so it's made me a little bitchy."

"I quite understand." He extended his paw, "Camrath," he said as he did so.

"Who?"

"Camrath. That's my name. You did ask me my name earlier. Also, the reason I knew yours is because Pride One has taken a keen interest in you. Pride One is the 'we' you asked about just a moment ago. We are the most covert anti-terrorist group in the Serengeti protecting the Pride Lands from those that would see it destroyed, but with only one slight catch."

"And that is?"

"Well, there's really very little to actually fight against, but what there IS out there, we make sure they know their place. We want you to become one of our operatives, Vitani. After the way you handled yourself at Kiara's fashion show..."

"Hey!," I interjected, "I saved her life! And besides, why would anyone wear mauve and chartreuse in..." Camrath finished my sentence for me, "In a place where earth tones are the rule. I know, I know. So, what do you say, will you join us?"

"Will I have a warm bed, clean clothes, and plenty of hot water for bubble baths?"

"We'll take care of everything for you."

I smiled and felt good for the first times in days. Giving it some thought, I decided being a secret agent or spy wouldn't be so bad, especially if I had this great looking lion sitting next to me to show me all that I'd need to know. I smiled and looked over at him.

"Sure," I said, "Why not? When do we leave?"

"Well, there's no time like the present. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

He bent down and kissed me gently. At that moment, you could have shoveled hot coals into my bra and I wouldn't have noticed. Man, can that lion kiss!! Pulling away, he said, "Consider that your welcome to Pride One." I don't remember much after that except feeling like I was floating on cloud nine and promptly fainted dead away. As I slid into unconsciousness, I heard Camrath sigh, "Oh dear, I'm afraid I've done it again. Must be something about my kisses..."

The End-Part 2


	3. La Femme Vitani: Beginnings Part 3

La Femme Vitani

By Shahn-Ryan Schumacher

  
  


Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction using the most beloved characters Disney ever created--those from The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. I used them here without permission with no plans to profit from or take credit for someone else's work, so Disney, DON'T SUE ME!! The same holds true for the La Femme Nikita references which is copyrighted by LFN productions. I TRIED to keep this as clean as possible, but a PG rating would probably be useful here--and now, on to the hootnanny…

  
  


Beginnings: Part Three (OR: The Zira Imperative: Part Three)

The only thing I remember about when I first got to Pride One was that I woke up screaming like a banshee. I had been strapped down to a table and a bright white light burned into my eyeballs until I could see funny shapes in the corners of my vision. From somewhere behind me I could hear the creak of a heavy door opening and then closing again. The light that had burned my eyes faded to a lesser brilliance and after a couple minutes I could make out the dark face of a person that was somehow familiar to me. I yawned and my mouth had a weird taste in it. OK, I thought to myself, I've GOT to lay off the beer nuts at those water hole parties. I couldn't think straight and my recent memories were gone, or at least I think they were. I remembered my cubhood, growing up, and coming back to the Pride Lands after Simba lifted our exile, but everything else was just pretty flashes of lavender and green that matched the spots I was seeing.

"Must have been one HELL of a party," I mumbled, "Feels like Rindi spiked the waterhole again." I started to chuckle softly when a familiar voice whispered to me.

"I'm terribly sorry about this treatment, Vitani. Pride One tends to be a bit hard on the new recruits whether they're willing or not. I think I might have kept the leather straps, you know just for fun, but instead of the drugs, I'd have opted for champagne and a dozen long-stemmed roses." My mind was reeling at the thought of this person. I knew him, I was sure of it, but I needed a little something extra to jog my memory; which was off traipsing through a field of daisies. I kind of wished I could have gone along on the trip myself. I felt a paw gently caressing my muzzle and then a kiss, which was firmly planted on my lips.

  
  


Oh yeah! THAT did it!

  
  


My vision snapped back into focus like the elastic in my bra does when I snag it on one of my claws and that's when I really noticed Camrath for the first time. By the Great Kings, he was a hunk! He had to stand around six-foot-four and he had fur that was the color of chocolate. For reasons unknown to me, I had the sudden urge for a Milky Way bar and a tall cold glass of chocolate milk. His mane was full and luxurious and black as pitch. It flowed down his back and haloed his strong face. Its luster was such that the light in the room just seemed to be sucked into its sheer blackness. I also noticed that his right eye was missing and his remaining eye shone with an amber light like a topaz. I noticed several scars, but they didn't take away from his looks. He had on a black shirt that nicely revealed his bulging chest muscles. I turned my head to keep my eyeballs from flopping out on the floor and my snout came face-to-face with his crotch. I gulped; hard. His jeans were as black as his mane and so tight; they looked like they had been painted on those god-like, muscular thighs. I was sorely wishing, at that point, that I had been the painter. Forgetting for the moment that I was strapped down, I tried to move and got supremely P.O.'ed.

"Hey!" I snapped, "I thought since I volunteered, I was gonna have a bed, not be strapped down like a lab rat!" One section of my mind was pondering what it would have been like to bed down in his fur. Camrath gave one of his disarming smiles, which only served to make me angrier. He just purred at me, "As I said, I'd have used champagne and long-stemmed roses and possibly even have thrown in hot wax for good measure, but that's Op-Paw-Rations for you. He's always going by the charter."

"Who the hell is this Op-Paw-Rations guy?"

"He's the head lion in charge of Pride One. As operatives, we all answer directly to him. Second in command is our chief strategist and psychology expert, Katty-Lyn." I suddenly felt like I was in one of those bad third-rate soap operas where the hero is a former rich-guy-turned-homeless-rogue-and-who-regains-it-all-when-he-saves-the-Pride-Lands-from-the-disease-of-the-week. Camrath undid the straps holding me down and I just glared at him. I don't, even to this day, understand how he tolerated me. I think it's because his libido was like Rindimo's and was twice the size of the Serengeti. Opening the door for me, he led me out into a corridor that was lined with metal. All the walls seemed to be made of metal. We at last arrived at a door that swung back on huge metal hinges and revealed a very sparse room. I immediately didn't like it.

"What happened to my nice warm bed?" I punctuated that phrase with staccato tones.

"Sorry about that. It's standard Pride One issue. But I'll see to it that you get a fluffy pillow and a nice warm blanket." He smirked at me when he said that last bit and I think he intentionally let his chest fur brush against me when he said it. I wanted to wrap myself up in him like a fur throw.

"We'll start your lessons at dawn tomorrow. Good night." Ever the gentleman, he bowed and left me alone with my thoughts. Well, Vitani old girl, it's not much, but it sure beats the Outlands, I thought to myself. I stretched out on the bed they provided and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

  
  


Dawn, The Next Morning--

I woke to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of wisteria wafting on the breeze. I stretched, yawned and sat up on the chaise lounge I found myself on.

"My, my, my! What a beautiful morning! Wherever is my dear Pelt?" I stopped suddenly, my jaw working, but no sound coming out. Since when in the hell did my voice go from a nice contralto to a high-pitched, whiny drawl? I stopped and looked around. Boy, I thought, these Pride One guys sure keep busy. Pride Rock had really undergone a change. Added to the promontory was a roof that came to a point and four white columns supported it. There was a small sign that read "Terra Plantation." It had one of those storybook singsong voices. I immediately knew something wasn't right.

"Miiiiizzzzzzz Fuuuurrrrleeeetttttt!!" I looked up to see Nala yelling out a window at me, "Young ladies ought not be out after dark in they's bloomers!" I gasped, horrified. Pulling up my skirts, I damn near fainted. Under my pantelettes were a pair of purple and puke green polka-dotted bloomers with a little tag that read, "Piece of the Rock, Size 20." If it EVER got out that I'd worn size twenty bloomers, I'd die.

"Oh, don't worry honey," a strange voice said out of nowhere, "Size twenty bloomers are the least of your worries." I gawped as the sign with the plantation's name on it read my mind. Sitting as dumb as a stump, I babbled like an idiot as the sign kept chatting on.

"At least you have a solid foundation like the house, but it's a pity. Just like the house, your knockers ain't genuine." I stared down at my body horrified as my boobs deflated to the size of cherries and my ass inflated like a hot air balloon. Humiliation doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.

"Ooh! Baby got back, Uh-huh!!" the sign trilled. I grabbed a hatchet that I found lying conveniently nearby and hacked it to pieces; managing in the process to give myself a mohawk. What had started out as an OK day was quickly goin' to the dogs. I started running as fast as my huge ass would allow, screaming, "Pelt! Pelt! Help me, Pelt!"

I kept running wildly and then I saw him in the distance, my knight in shining armor. He rode up on a jet-black steed and I knew it was Pelt before he even removed his helmet. It was his considerable codpiece that gave him away. Stamped on it was "United Steel Workers, Local 109."

"Pelt," I cried, "Help me! My world is a nightmare," as I said this a horse with the word 'NIGHTMARE' painted on its side galloped past, "Nothing about this world makes any sense!" He took off his helmet and I instantly melted into a gooey puddle at his feet; literally.

"Oh, pull yourself together Furlett." I managed to re-solidify as he continued. I couldn't stop thinking how sinfully attractive he was. A red neon sign appeared over his head with an arrow pointing toward him that read 'Sinfully Attractive' while it blinked on and off as though something had been reading my thoughts. I began to panic, certain that I had most definitely lost my mind. A gnome on a bicycle rode past with a galvanized steel bucket full of the ole gray matter and asked, "Hey, Lady! Did you lose this?" That did it. I couldn't take any more! I started bawling my eyes out. I then felt Pelt take me in his strong paws and pull me close and try to comfort me.

"There, there my dear. It's all right. Remember, we'll always have each other. The world may go to hell," when Pelt said that a huge crack opened up in the ground and a gnome posted a sign that read, "HELL this way. One Way Trip $5. Sorry, No substitutions, exchanges or refunds." Pelt continued, "Like I was saying, the world may go to hell, but we'll always have each other. The moon may fall from the sky, the mountains crumble into the sea, Zazu might grow a set of dreadlocks," he was cut off by a Rastafarian version of Zazu telling Simba in no uncertain terms what he could do with the royal scepter. The moon, meanwhile, bought a ticket to hell with a side trip to the nether regions. Pelt went on, "But in spite of all this we'll always have our love. Come, Furlett, kiss me. Kiss me." He bent down to kiss me and I noticed that his fangs were rotting away as I watched. I started screaming…

  
  


"AAAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!" I woke up screaming my head off. Whoa, I thought, that was some nightmare. I checked my boobs. Thank heavens they were back to their normal size of thirty-six D and I sighed in relief. I was almost certain that seeing Camrath and myself in a dream as characters from the blockbuster movie "Gone With the Fur" had to mean I was most definitely nuts. I started to settle back in to get some more shut-eye when a bang sounded at my cabin door. I ignored it and rolled over. A few seconds later, there came another loud banging on my door. I stuck my paws in my ears and devised unique tortures never before dreamed of for the hapless git who was gonna get an ear full if they didn't lay off the hammering on the door. For a third time there came a banging on the door.

"GO AWAY!!" I bellowed. I turned over on my belly and buried my head under the pillow. I was just getting ready for the conductor to punch my ticket again aboard the Sleepy Town Express when I heard an even louder 'BANG!' than any of the previous ones. I turned over, ready to ream out the nutball who was keeping me from my obligatory forty winks. I'm sorry folks, but I need no less than eight hours of beauty rest a night. I got up and noticed Camrath standing on the remains of the steel door with his arms crossed over his chest. He had his mane tied back and his chest was bare. All he was wearing was a pair of black sweat pants and a towel draped over his shoulders. My ire lost some of its steam and to hide my embarrassment, I said gruffly, "Whaddya want?" Camrath studied me with his eye and said quietly, "Did you forget we're supposed to start at dawn? Op-Paw-Rations isn't one to tolerate tardiness."

"I don't care if he can't tolerate stripes and polka-dots together," I gruffed, "I have to have my eight hours of sleep. So, goodnight, I've got a one way ticket to La-La Land on the Sleepy Town Express." I gathered up my blanket and flopped back down on my bed.

"Make sure to get the lights on your way out," I said. I hadn't even gotten situated good yet, when I felt a strong paw rip my blanket off and I found myself promptly pinned under Cam's considerable and sexy bulk. His one eye glared at me and I wasn't sure whether or not I was about to get reamed out.

"Um, Camrath," I tried weakly, "I'd love to get up close and personal with you, but I hardly know you." He didn't say anything for a moment. Had I screwed up royally? He then smiled at me and then leaned down and whispered, "If you do what I tell you, you'll get to know me better than you could possibly imagine." His voice had an erotic purr in it that struck a chord in me.

"OK!" I squeaked.

"Come on," he purred, "The gym's waiting for us."

  
  


I'm really kinda of the opinion that the Great Kings must have had it out for me from the start. How was I supposed to know that a workout was made up of, well, so much work? I exercised muscles that I hadn't known existed. Cam demonstrated the various types of equipment and after a few minutes told me to give it a go. The first piece of equipment I tried was some sort of souped-up trampoline number. There was a small control panel just to one side with assorted knobs and switches and in the heart of the control panel was a big red button with a sign that read, "DO NOT PUSH."

"The trampoline helps to strengthen your legs and is good for your agility."

"Is that so?"

"Oh yes. Well, I say it is."

"How do you know?"

"I always seem to have a spring in my step after I've used it."

"Ah."

  
  


I figured it was simple enough, so I jumped. First I touched my toes. I kept fooling around before deciding to try a couple of flips. I got so carried away that I wasn't watching where I was landing. As I came down, I temporarily lost my balance and must have accidentally hit the big red button. I regained my balance and decided to see how high I could jump and then come down, flip, and land on my hind paws. I took small bouncing steps before I drew my legs up slightly, waited till I stopped sinking into the mat before I used the mat's resilience to propel myself upwards again…this time straight into the ceiling and saw purple and puke-green polka dotted stars.

"Pride Rock," I slurred, "We have a negative on that orbit trajectory." I immediately plummeted back to Earth crash landing into the free weights stand. Camrath rushed over to give me a paw out of the mess. Forgetting how much pain I was in for the moment, I grinned up at him sheepishly and said, "I'm such a dumbbell, huh?" before I passed out at his feet.

Later, after our exercise session, Camrath took me to see Katty-Lynn in her office. Cam said they all called it "The Boudoir." The doors opened by themselves and I walked in. Camrath excused himself and I went to sit on a plush sofa that I saw. Boy, I thought, this Katty-Lynn's got to be one totally with it gal. I just stared open-mouthed at the richness of the room around me. Feeling like I was severely out of place, I sat down on the sofa.

BWWWAAAATTT!!

I was stunned for just a moment before I pulled the offending instrument out from under my rear.

"Oh joy," I huffed, "A whoopee cushion." I was about to toss it when some writing on the opposite side caught my eye: It read, "For when you feel like making whoopee!" I just stared at it for a moment until another woman's voice caused me to jump.

"Well, well, Vitani. It seems like you'll be a big noise here at Pride One." I looked around to see where the noise was coming from and stopped when I saw the desk across the room with a huge high-backed chair sitting behind it. The chair was turned facing a huge fireplace.

"Who are you?" I demanded. The chair turned around slowly to reveal a lioness in a black satin dress with luxurious dark brown hair pulled up in a bun and held in place with chopsticks. She stood and eyed me with a stare that pinned me to the sofa and let me feeling like a side of zebra shank hanging in the window of Ernie's Butcher Shop. She looked hungry and I suspected that zebra steaks weren't the only thing she had on her menu. She sauntered over to me and purred and she stroked my cheek, "They can teach you how to fight, and how to shoot, but you have a weapon that's greater than any weapon of those. You have your femininity."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"All right. Pumbaa's hair isn't real. He got that piece from the Hair Club for Warthogs."

"You know, I'd always wondered about that."

  
  


She spent the next hour giving me fashion and beauty tips in the art of seduction and why you should avoid having Oysters Pride-Rockefeller with White Zinfandel at dinners served at state functions. I also was never one for foreign languages, but of the main languages spoken in the Serengeti, I was to be taught two of the more prominent ones, elephant and hornbill. Felinese was the common tongue all the residents spoke, with leonese being what all Simba's pride members spoke--of which I was one. Katty-Lynn told me that I would be meeting with her on a daily basis for the duration as my time as an operative-in-training.

"Um, just how long is the training process?" I asked.

"It's two years," trilled Katty-Lynn.

"Two years!?" I shrieked.

"That's right."

"And when my two years is up?"

"If you prove yourself, depending on your proficiency, you could start as a level two operative. If not, then you'll be composted."

"Composted? You mean I'll be thrown out like trash?"

"Well…"

"Hey, sister! I may be many things, but Pride Lands cave trash isn't one of them."

"Vitani, to be composted or to be recommended for composting means you do leave Pride One, but in a body bag."

"Oh," was all I could manage.

  
  


A few minutes later, Camrath returned and said, "Now that you've met Katty-Lynn, I think I'll introduce you to the team that make up the nerve center of Pride One."

"Well, before we meet them, could you explain just one teensy detail that you forgot to include when I got drafted."

"You volunteered, if my memory serves."

"Volunteered, drafted, yeah, yeah, yeah; let's not split furs, OK?"

"Well, what did you want to know?"

"Why didn't you tell me that the only way you get out of this place is if you're A: six feet under; B: in a body bag, or C: lion fodder? Capisce?"

"Oh that. Well, I didn't think I'd bother you with details at the time."

"Well, no, of course not! It's only my life we're talking about!" My anger was beginning to boil over at Camrath. He'd lied to me! Well, he didn't lie, exactly, but he omitted a pretty damned important fact. I started yelling, "That's the last time I allow myself to fall for a tall, dark-maned type! Why, I oughta dent your grill, buster!" He just smiled at me; he was ALWAYS doing that. 

"Vitani, you really are very beautiful when you're angry."

"Stick a sock in it, Popeye!"

"Aww, so now she shows her claws. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that you were coming into season." I stopped, absolutely purple with rage. How could he have possibly known? I was on the verge of being my most fertile and it took all I had to keep from grabbing the nearest male, regardless of his species. I had always felt the change coming over me and since my teen years, I always became a bitch-on-paws when I came "in season." Poking Camrath in the chest with my paw, I snarled, "Just you wait! After we meet the rest of the gang, You're mine!!" I heard Cam snarl in delight as he followed behind me.

  
  


We came into the main area that served as the hub for Pride One. Various others came and went and I assumed they were operatives like Camrath and like I hoped to be. There was a conference table along one wall. To either side were halls that led off to who knew where. We came in from a corridor that led off at an angle. A cluster of computer banks rested at the end of the hall adjacent to the conference table and where the walls formed a parabolic arch. It was here that a small group of folks had gathered looking like rejects from a computer geeks convention. A flash of light caught my eye and I looked up and noticed that over the conference table stood a row of bay type windows. A control console lined the windows and I saw a lone lion dressed to the nines staring down hard at the room. He had a remote in his hand and the second he made eye contact with me, he pressed a button on it and the room he was in went dark--like the room had heavily tinted windows. Camrath had stopped and since I was still looking up at the strange room over the conference table, I plowed straight into his well-muscled back.

"Hey, Vitani, I like 'up-close-and-personal' but now's not really the time. I…OUCH!!" He shut up as at that moment, he seemed to injure himself. I think that my stepping on his tail had a lot to do with it. I said nothing and gave him a huge grin that dripped with fake innocence.

"You little vixen! I ought to," he started before he stopped and just shook his head and grinned at me. Continuing he said, "Here, let me introduce you to the rest of the team that make up the heart of Pride One." I noticed a small female cheetah; a tall slender male cheetah who was really looking better than the law should allow and who reminded me of Rindimo. He had a shock of dark, wavy hair, but I think his most distinguishing features were his sky-blue eyes. Like the lion in the room over the conference table, he was dressed to the nines. Sitting at the desk, fingers flying over the keyboards of various computers was what I thought was a male of a species I'd never seen before. He didn't have any fur, except on his head and glasses propped up on his nose. He didn't so much as flinch; instead kept steadily clattering away at his keyboards.

"Brian," Camrath started. The guy called Brian didn't so much as budge an inch and kept on hammering away at those keys. I was beginning to feel that Simba's gardener had taken to my nerves with his set of hedge clippers as the keys rattled and clicked. Camrath tried again.

"Brian…" Still Brian didn't look up and the rattle of his keys kept up at a lightening pace. Cam looked a little miffed, rolled his one eye, and roared, "BRIAN!!" Brian jumped about three feet straight up and landed in a heap on his backside. Climbing back into his chair, Brian straightened his glasses and glared at Cam.

"All you had to do, was say 'Excuse me,' Gothlion," he growled.

"Gothlion?" I began, whispering to Camrath.

"I'll explain later," he whispered back. He turned back to Brian, "I just wanted to introduce you to our newest operative-in-training. Meet Vitani." Brian stopped and peered at me over the top of his glasses. He blinked, pushed his glasses further up on his nose and looked at me again.

"I'll give her a month," he said with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Hey!" I started. He looked up at me again and smiled.

"OK, six months." I just gawped at him. He must have sensed my disbelief because he then broke into a wide grin and stuck out what I assumed was his paw. Shaking my paw vigorously he smiled and said, "Welcome to Pride One, Vitani. It's good to have you here. Heaven knows we could use some beauty around this dump." He went back to clattering away on his keyboards.

"Brian monitors the Pride Lands for any terrorist activities and he prepares our mission profiles."

"Nice. Um, Camrath, what…?" my voice trailed off as I wasn't sure how to continue. I guess to Camrath my face looked like the site of a Pride Lands Express train wreck during rush hour with all the confusion I felt.

"He's a human." Oh, so THAT'S what a human looks like. I'd heard stories when I was growing up about humans and now I got to see one close up. Funny thing was, Brian didn't resemble any of the myths that I'd heard about humans being the green-furred, red bug-eyed monsters I'd grown up believing in. A soft "ahem" broke the air.

"Oh Vitani, let me introduce you to two other core members of the Pride One team." He indicated the young female cheetah and the slightly older male cheetah who, to my reckoning, could have passed for Rindi's twin brother.

"Let me present Afriti and Netolu Shadowlin. Afriti here is our resident expert in the art of disguise and Netolu is our Chief of Diplomacy." I looked over to Afriti and noticed that she had two earrings in her right ear, a choker necklace that was heart shaped with the imprint of a paw in it. She was also wearing a bright blue tee shirt with "Cheetahs Rule!" on it and some bell bottom jeans.

"Afriti, is it?"

"That's right."

"Disguise expert?" As soon as I had said that, she whipped out a pair of plastic glasses with a big rubber nose and a fake mustache and put them on. Wiggling her eyebrows at me she said, "Sure thing, toots!" I then looked over to Netolu.

"You're Netolu?" He took my paw in his and he bent over and kissed it.

"Enchante, cherie. It is such a pleasure to have such a vision of beauty among us." I felt myself blush. I cleared my throat and gave him the once over and noticed that he carried what appeared to be a small baseball bat at his side. He looked sinfully attractive in his black slacks, mandarin collar, and Nehru jacket. I stammered over my next words. 

"So, uh, you're the guy in charge of diplomacy, huh?"

"That is correct."

"And you carry a baseball bat?"

"I call it my 'kitty-conker'. I keep it on me in the event that diplomacy fails."

"Diplomacy fail? Do you mean to tell me that a seasoned expert like you has known diplomacy to fail?" He smirked slightly and smiled at my naivete, before he whispered, "Have you ever known it NOT to?"

"Good point," I said as I felt myself drowning in the depths of his blue eyes. Camrath cleared his throat and said, "Well, that's everyone except for Timon and Ugumu. Where are those two, by the way?"

"Come now, Camrath. You, of all the operatives here at Pride One, should know that as our Chief of Ordnance, Ugumu can never wait to try out one of his newest contraptions on us."

"That explains Ugumu's whereabouts. What about Timon?"

"I am afraid that Timon is the poor unfortunate sod who was drafted to endure tortures unimagined this time 'round."

"Meaning…" I started.

"That Timon is Ugumu's guinea pig. Poor sod indeed," Camrath finished.

  
  


My mind was reeling as I tried to get a mental grip on all the information that had decided to dump itself on my shoulders. I heard a loud crash and looked towards the sound's direction. There was a long hallway on the far side of the conference room from where we were that ended in a pinpoint of light about the size of my foreclaw.

"Well, well, well. It seems the lord and master of the sonic boom and percussion rifles has returned," Netolu piped up. There was another earth-shattering crash, a loud WHOOSH!, and suddenly operatives were scattering helter skelter all over the place. One operative, another lioness, bellowed as she passed, going ninety-to-nothing, "QUICK!! RUN!!" No sooner had she passed than a gray blur zoomed past making one awful howling noise like a bat out of hell. Another blur, a black one, followed right behind it. The two became one and made a god-awful shriek before they collided with the wall with a loud bang.

After a few moments, the dust cleared and I noticed two distinct piles of fur, clothing and a small fire that sat smoldering at the tail of one of the furballs.

"Aaaaooowww…" groaned the black pile. It was this one whose tail was smoldering. I saw him lick two of his claws and put out the small flame. Grumbling like he had a first class speech impediment, he picked himself up off the floor. I tried to keep from boggling as the black panther raised to his full height and dusted himself down. His eyes were an intense green that glittered with an emerald fire. He had on a pair of tight blue jeans (but not as tight as Camrath's black jeans had been) and a black tee shirt over which sat a denim vest. He had a bandana around his head and a long earring hanging from his left ear. It was a feather that appeared to be made of silver. He had what looked to be a tribal turquoise and bone necklace around his neck. His hair was styled so that his bangs hung down in his eyes over the bandana and there was a touch of gray in them.

"Ugumu," Camrath said, "I'd like to introduce you to our newest operative-in-training, Vitani." Ugumu stopped and looked me over; his lip curled in a slight sneer.

"So, she's an operative-in-training, is she?" he gruffed, "Are you sure she's not just another conquest of yours?"

"Ugumu…" Camrath's tone was suddenly low and gruff.

"Don't go there with me, Gothlion. I'm not in the mood. I told Timon over and over not to fire the boosters and he wouldn't listen. So much for my rocket powered rollerblades. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Vitani, welcome aboard. If you guys need me I'll be in ordnance." Ugumu turned and walked away, his black boots echoing off into the distance.

"Come on, Timon. I need to adjust the nitrous oxide mix. We're damned lucky we didn't both go out with a bang."

I assumed the gray ball of fluff on the floor was Timon and who Ugumu was addressing. He had a groggy look around and started singing off-key, thoroughly mutilating the Battle Hymn of the Pride Lands.

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of King Simba in his drawers; he is wasting treasury money on all the pimps and…"

"TIMON!" Camrath bellowed, "That'll be enough."

"That's Timon," I squeaked, "He doesn't look anything like a meerkat!"

"Hey," Timon piped up, "I'm a wolf, not a meerkat! And I'm definitely not THAT meerkat." He stopped and seemed to notice Camrath for the first time.

"Oh, hi there, Camrath. Who's the broad?" By now, I was getting used to being referred to like I was more of an 'it' instead of a 'who'.

"Timon, this is Vitani. She's our newest operative-in-training here at Pride One. Vitani, meet Timon. He's our resident gray wolf who is Chief of Infiltration operations." Timon was just a hair shorter than I was and was kind of built for his size. He was wearing a long, black trench coat and a v-necked tee shirt with a wolf's head logo on it. He was also wearing black leather cargo pants and boots. He resettled his shades on his nose and his head fur was spiked. Reaching down to the floor, he grabbed two pairs of nunchuks and stuffed them into his trench coat.

"So, Timon, you're in charge of infiltration operations? How'd you get that post?" He pulled down his shades, winked at me, made a pistol sign with is paw and clicked his tongue.

"Here, hold these." He handed me his coat and shades and before my eyes, he changed until a wolf pup stood at my feet and jumped up and down and yipped playfully at me. After a couple of seconds, he grew back into and adult, minus his clothes. He grabbed his long bushy tail and promptly covered his exposed mid-section.

"That ALWAYS happens!" he said hurriedly, his face a deep shade of red. He grabbed his trench coat and covered himself with it and scurried out and shouted back, "Vitani, it was great meeting you. I'll see you in training!" I allowed myself a chuckle. So, this was the nerve center of Pride One. I looked over to where Camrath, Afriti, Netolu, and Brian were barely keeping themselves from laughing out loud.

"Um, Camrath?"

"Yes," he purred.

"What exactly are YOU supposed to train me in?" He suddenly produced a sword seemingly from out of thin air.

"I'll teach you swordplay and other forms of paw-to-paw combat."

"And these other guys?"

"Hey!" Afriti piped up, "I'm a girl!"

"They'll all teach you what they know in order to complete your training. By the time we're done with you, well, Pride Lands beware."

"Knowing my current run of luck, I'll end up as kitty compost."

"Come on," Camrath said, "It's been a long day. We'll resume your training tomorrow at dawn."

My first day of training wasn't a total failure, but could have been a hell of a lot better. Camrath introduced me to Op-Paw-Rations, the commander-in-chief of Pride One. He was a really severe guy, who was curt and acted cold, like he had a corncob up his ass. After that, Cam tried to show me how to fight paw-to-paw and how to wield a sword. I succeeded in giving myself a black eye and nearly sliced Cam's tail off. After that, we went over to ordnance where Ugumu apologized for being a jerk and tried to familiarize me with the operative's range of weapons. With the machine gun, I hit everything except the target and with the concealable stuff, I nearly gave Op-Paw-Rations, who'd been observing me, a mohawk when one of the 'Stars of Ahadi' I was learning to use went wild. The 'Stars' were little throwing stars shaped like lion paws with retractable razor sharp claws. In Systems with Brian, I managed to cause a blackout for over an hour and in my session with Netolu, I flunked elementary diplomacy intro when, as my solution to the problem, I leaped over the table and throttled the training dummy. With Afriti, I almost put out my eye while learning various disguises. Mental note here for all the audience--never, and I mean NEVER mix the styles "street walker" and "country bumpkin" like I did. If you do, you'll get a trashy slut with an I.Q. of 3 who talks with a twangy drawl and is missing her two front teeth. While I was with Timon, I got stuck in the training maze while he was giving me insight into the finer points of infiltration. I was glad when the day was at last over. Camrath was escorting me back to my room when I said, "Camrath, I stink."

"Just up your deodorant dose next time," he broke in, "The exercise tends to do that to you."

"No, not that. I mean I totally suck. I'll get composted for sure."

"Vitani, I've seen operatives with less than what you've got and they turned out all right."

"I just don't know if I'm cut out for this. I didn't try to kill Kiara or anyone else and BECAUSE I tried to save her life, I get rewarded by getting drafted into this place. It's all so damned unfair," I sighed and leaned back into the wall, "It's not fair."

"Vitani," Cam purred as he grasped my shoulders, "You'll be all right. You'll see." I absently wiped at a tear that had started to roll down my cheek.

"Yeah, well, I'll show them," I said determined, "I'll train and become the best damned operative Pride One has ever seen."

"Atta girl," Cam said with a smile, "Madam, I salute your determination." That got a smile out of me and I looked down and noticed that something else about Camrath was also saluting me; a very BIG something…

"Um, Cam," I started.

"Yes," he purred seductively.

"Is that your sword in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" He just howled with laughter and said, "It's been a long day for both of us. C'mon, dawn comes early." He led me off down the corridor.

  
  


TWO YEARS LATER

"Well, Camrath, how do you think she'll do?"

"She's been undergoing the trials all day, Ugumu. Soon, we'll know if the last two years were worth it or not."

"I'd hate to lose her. She's just what this place needs."

"I agree. Wait a minute; here she comes."

  
  


I noticed Ugumu and Camrath talking and the rest of the gang gathered around, all anxiously awaiting the news. I sauntered out in a black sleeveless dress that came to my knees and knee-high boots. My hair was on my head with ringlets down either side. Ugumu took my paws and kissed me on the cheek. 

"Hi, there, Sugar," he purred.

"Well?" Cam asked. I said nothing at first, instead, putting on my shades and pushing them up on my nose.

"Well indeed," I said.

"How did you do?" Ugumu asked.

"OK," I said.

"That's it!?" Afriti asked, "Just OK?"

"Just OK."

"There is something that you are not telling us," Netolu added.

"Yeah," I said with a grin pulling at the corners of my mouth, "There is."

"Well, what is it?" Brian shrieked.

"Lady and gentlemen. Allow me to introduce you to the new, improved Vitani. You know, la femme Vitani has a nice ring to it."

"You mean," Afriti started before I cut her off.

"I mean, I'm Vitani; status: Pride One operative, level two." The group erupted in a loud cheer. It must have been too much for poor Timon, because he fainted dead away.

"Look out, Pride Lands," I said with a grin, "Vitani's back in town!"

  
  


The End--Part 3


	4. La Femme Vitani: Beginnings Part 4

La Femme Vitani

  
  


By: Shahn-Ryan Schumacher

  
  
  
  


Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction using the most beloved characters Disney ever created--those from The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. I used them here without permission with no plans to profit from or take credit for someone else's work, so, Disney, DON'T SUE ME!!! The same holds true for the La Femme Nikita references, which is copyrighted by LFN Productions. I TRIED to keep this as clean as possible, but due to circumstances beyond the author's control and Vitani's express written permission, Beginnings: Part 4 is rated: PG-13!! Read it at your own risk. If you do read it and you don't like it, 100% of your wasted time will be refunded; Money on the other hand is another matter entirely…And now, on to the hootenanny…

  
  


The Author would also like to thank the following people:

First: A large and heartfelt posthumous thank you to Miss Judy Garland for giving us her immortal rendition of "The Trolley Song"; immortalized in her 1944 movie, Meet Me in St. Louis.

Second: A large thank you to Mr. Ralph Blayne and Mr. Hugh Martin who created the lyrics for "The Trolley Song." "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley…" 

Third: Apologies to Mr. Jeremy Lloyd and Mr. David Croft for use of a line from their Are You Being Served? Episode, "Goodbye, Mrs. Slocombe" 

Lastly: A thank you and apologies to Christian humorist and mom, Barbara Johnson, for use of a quote from her latest book making a statement about tires and testosterone and who for many years has been helping women find "Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life" as they are "Leaking Laughs Between Pampers and Depends."

  
  


Beginnings: Part Four (Or: The Zira Imperative: Part Four)

  
  


Our little celebration was cut short when the PA system activated and Op-Paw-Rations' steel-wool-over-silk voice sliced through the air, "Camrath, report to the den immediately." My mentor and trainer of the last two years silently excused himself and he glided effortlessly across the floor. I followed him with my eyes, my vision coming to rest on the nice set of buns he had. OK! OK! I like lions with tight butts who know what they want and go after it. But with Camrath everything seemed multiplied tenfold. You could have bounced a fifty-cent piece off of those glutes of his and I was wishing right then and there that I could have been the lucky coin that got to do the bouncing.

I looked up to see Camrath and Op-Paw-Rations overlooking the area from the room above the conference table and as their combined gazes feel on me, I suddenly felt a twinge of fear like I was under a microscope. Was there something going on that Camrath wasn't telling me about? They both turned away from looking at me and then the room went dark, as Op-Paw-Rations must have activated the tinting screens. I wondered what they could have been discussing.

  
  


"Graham Auld. He's here in the Pride Lands on business and you can rest assured he's up to no good. Red Paw, Black Fang, The Brotherhood of the Skinned, even the Gnarled Bone; he brokers information as freely as you or I drink a glass of water."

"But that doesn't make sense. Half of those groups are enemies to each other."

"True. But their biggest enemy is us. We have to find out what it is that he's up to. It's believed he has an itinerary on a PDA somewhere on his person. We need to get that unit."

"I'll see to it."

"Oh, and Camrath? One more thing.."

"Yes?"

"We have a problem with Vitani. She lacks discipline. Compost her."

"I believe that could be a mistake."

"Have you allowed yourself to form an attachment to the material? You know our policy. It's been two years."

"I firmly believe she can be a great operative."

"Need I remind you that this is a paramilitary organization? If we start making exceptions now, then we're no better than the PLCIA."

"I think we should test her in the field."

"Very well. However, I don't have to remind you. IF she fails, YOU fail."

  
  
  
  


When Camrath returned from his side trip to the den, his face was a blank mask. I couldn't read what I thought he might be feeling and the blank slate that greeted me reminded me of the training sessions we had in paw-to-paw combat. He could joke and tease like nobody's business and his talent for innuendo and double entendre was unlike anything I'd seen in quite some time. But there was the business side of him that didn't play and I had caught the rough edge of his tongue on more than one occasion during my training. It was some time before I was able to fully understand that his remarks weren't personal; but I wonder if even he understood how demanding and relentless he was in his drive for perfection. His sudden stony silence upon his return from the den frightened me. I was also slightly aroused by it.

I could see the lines of concentration around his good eye and his soft chocolate colored muzzle quivered slightly. When Cam seemed pensive as he did then, a thousand thoughts fought for dominance in my brain. I found myself dying to know what he was thinking. He had constantly teased me about taking me to his bed, but did what Ugumu had said when we first met ring true? IF Camrath and I were to cross that line, would he sleep with me once and then toss me aside? Did Ugumu say what he did out of some misguided sense of jealousy? Pretending to need to go to the restroom, I excused myself and once inside, set my sunglasses on the counter and hung my head. After a minute, I looked at the reflection of myself staring back at me. Damn! I had started to cry. Why was I suddenly an emotional wreck? I had passed the trials. I WAS an operative now. My thoughts drifted to first Camrath and then to Ugumu. When Cam entered my thoughts, I was understandably physically attracted to him and if I were honest with myself, I wanted him. I wanted him to take me to his bed, igniting my passions, making hard, raunchy love to me. I wanted to feel our bodies joined in the act of rough, animalistic sex. I sensed a gentleness in him that I wanted to know. I felt like there was a hard outer shell that Camrath used to keep out the rest of the world. Would I be one of the ones fortunate enough to penetrate that shell?

What about Ugumu? For the last two years, I'd seen as much of him as I had Camrath and he was just as much an enigma as Camrath was. Ugumu struck me as the type who also kept the rest of the world at arm's length, and in the two years he had worked with me in training, we had become friendly, but in a really cordial way. Like Cam, I sensed a shell that I hoped I could one day penetrate. I wondered how they both felt towards me. I thought Camrath was hot for me, but how much of that was just bluster? And Ugumu? Why did he seem to always reign in his emotions around me? For the first time in a long time, I felt totally alone.

"Ahem."

I hadn't heard her enter, so when Afriti cleared her throat, I nearly killed myself trying to stuff myself down the drain hole in the sink.

"What's a femme fatale like you doing in a flush joint like this," she said.

"I…I, uh, just got a little carried away with being an operative. It's just that the, uh, the full weight of the situation finally hit me."

"'Tani, darling, you're a horrible liar."

"Does it show that bad?"

Um, yeah, it does. Look, the reason that I'm here is that everyone out there was wondering whether you'd fallen in or not."

"And Camrath?"

"Who do you think sent me in here to fish you out, as it were. Anyway, he said he's got something he wants to tell you." I watched her face as she said his name. She lit up like a light bulb.

"Afriti, do you like Camrath?"

"Only a lot. But join the club, girlfriend. Cam's got a string of broken hearts form here to Timbuktu and back."

"Oh, so he's the 'love-em-and-leave-em' type after all, huh?"

"Well, I can't really say. I think he's the strictly monogamous type to tell you the truth. At least I suppose he is, but well, gee Vitani, you know what a hottie he is!"

"Yeah," I said as a pang hit me dead center of my chest, "I know."

"It's just that I think there's only one type of girl for Cam. From what I've heard, even for all his joking around and stuff, he's not the type to sleep around with anyone."

"Do you know if he is seeing anyone now?"

No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, it's, aw shucks. Afriti, you've got to promise NOT to tell anyone about this!"

"I promise." She winked at me when she said that.

"Well, I've been thinking about it and I think I can no longer deny how I really feel about Camrath."

"And that is?"

"Honey, I'm afraid I've got it bad, and," I said before she cut me off finishing with a big grin, "And that ain't good."

  
  


Afriti accompanied me back into the main hall. I could see both Camrath and Ugumu talking to each with their backs turned towards me. Afriti patted me on the back while we were walking and I slid on my shades, as I didn't want either Camrath or Ugumu to see that I had been crying. It was damned weird. But as I walked towards them, they both seemed so powerful and mysterious to me and that's when it hit me. As if the Great Kings themselves had swooped down out of the heavens and cuffed me behind the ears, I realized that both of them had managed to capture tiny pieces of my heart.

It was time for a change of tack. Deciding I needed to find out all I could about Camrath, I figured I'd go to the one place I was hoping I could get the information. I gathered my confidence about me and I swept right in between Camrath and Ugumu without so much as an "Excuse me," and made a beeline for Brian in Systems. As I approached, Brian looked up, saw me, and a grin split his face.

"Let me guess. You are woman, hear you roar, huh?"

"Something like that," I replied.

"Did you need something, Vitani?"

"Only a permanent vacation from reality. Oh, and as an added bonus, give me all the dirt you've got on Camrath," I said in a manner that I hope conveyed that I meant business. At least I think it would have except for the fact that my teeth felt like they were gonna chatter right out of my head.

"'Tani, you know only Op-Paw-Rations and Katty-Lynn have security clearance to view those files."

"Well, by the Great Kings, he can't be anymore of a mystery than anyone else in this joint."

"If it'll make you feel better, I'd gladly let you plumb out some of MY secrets."

"Only some?" I asked.

"Well…" he began.

"That's OK, Brian. You're cute as a button and everything, but humans aren't really my type."

"It's because I'm not covered in fur with a long, flowing mane and tail, isn't it."

"Well…"

"There's something to be said for brains, you know."

"I know. And I also know that yours is here to pick anytime I need it." His scowl softened into a grin as he said, "I KNEW it. You DO love me for my brains after all."

Camrath had slipped into Systems quietly and the hairs on the nape of my neck stood up on end. I felt a small thrill run through me as I felt his breath fall on my neck. I turned to face him. His jet-black mane haloed his sexy face and his single eye looked right through me. Damn! I was dying to know what was going on in his mind.

"So, the Gothlion has seen fit to grace us in Systems with his presence. We are all truly humbled, am I right?" Brian piped up.

"Something like that," Cam purred. "Vitani, follow me please. I need to discuss something with you." Wondering what was up I didn't say a word, but just followed him back out into the main chamber. He didn't say anything for several seconds so I finally broke the quiet when I said, "OK, Camrath, I'll bite. What's up, besides your mammoth masculinity?" That got a huge grin out of him. I noticed that Afriti, Netolu and Timon were all standing nearby shooting the breeze when Camrath said to me, "Go to Katty-Lynn and ask her to help you pick out something nice. We'll be celebrating your victory in the trials by having dinner in town tonight." Afriti must have been walking over towards us and caught the tail end of our conversation because she gawked, "Whaa-a-a…" I thought she was gonna blow her spots right there on the linoleum. 

"Cam! I've been after you for ages to take me out to dinner! I never get to go anywhere!"

"Sorry, kiddo, this one's for me and Vitani alone. I want to show her a few, umm, things." Netolu had wandered over and said with a snigger, "It is most likely undiplomatic to say this, but I would wager that he is going to show her the things that half of Simba's pride claim that he's shown them."

"Sorry, Net. This is strictly business and besides that incident with Ubuzi was not my fault. She wandered in on me as I was climbing out of the shower." Netolu got a very sinister looking gleam in his eye and with a grin he burst into song,

"As long as your arm and five times as thick; she died on the head of your iron…"

"ALL RIGHT," Camrath said trying to get Netolu to pipe down, "I get the joke already. But this is a business venture, if you know what I mean." I saw Netolu's facial expression change and I was beginning to wonder what in the hell was going on. Timon then sauntered over to Camrath's right side and I thought I heard him whisper into Cam's ear, "Just think of it this way; you'll be exploring virgin territory." Cam just smiled and let a little chuckle escape his lips. Timon barely contained a chuckle himself and he wandered over to me, topless with a towel draped over his shoulders. He whispered in my ear, "Don't eat too much dinner, luv. You'll have to save room for your dessert." He jerked his thumb towards Camrath as he said that. Timon was highlighted by the track lighting in the ceiling and it showed off his muscle groups. He looked good enough to eat himself.

"Umm, Timon," I started.

"Eh, call me Timmy."

"OK. Timmy, if Camrath's dessert, what does that make you?"

"Think of me as a very filling late night snack."

"Ah."

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Camrath, please? Can I go with you and Vitani to dinner?"

"Not this time Afriti. This really is more of a business matter than an all out celebration."

"But Cam," I heard Afriti whine, "you've been promising me we could go out to dinner forever!"

"Sorry, short stuff." Afriti's usually cute smile turned into an even cuter pout. She looked like she was about to storm off when she shot a glance at me.

"Vitani, can I go with you guys, please?"

"Vitani, this really isn't…" Camrath started. I sauntered over to him and started to tease his left ear with one of my claws. Whispering in his ear, I purred, "Oh let her come with us Camrath."

"But it really isn't…"

"Camrath, just think about AFTER dinner," I trilled, "then those last two years of waiting will pay off and you'll have me all to yourself." He closed his eye, shook his head and sighed. A small smile pulled at the edges of his mouth as he looked at us and said, "Oh, very well. I can't fight both of you." As I walked away, I wondered what I had eaten earlier that was disagreeing with me. I felt weak in the knees and had butterflies in my stomach.

"Vitani," Cam called after me, "Be back here in two hours time."

"Will do."

  
  
  
  


There were more routes to "The Boudoir" than I had claws on my paws and I'll be damned if I know what made me take the path that I did. However, I found myself walking past the Pride One gym. I wouldn't have stopped except for the sounds of grunting and heavy breathing I heard coming from inside. I popped my head inside the door and there was Ugumu, sweating like a hog, working away on the weights. He was seated, turned way from me, but I could see the muscles in his shoulders and arms flexing with the strain."

"Hey Uggy!" I exclaimed, using the pet name I sometimes did when I talked to him. I heard a loud crash, a yelp of pain, and several muttered curses. Ugumu stopped prancing around and looked towards the door where I was. His green eyes flashed at me angrily. He was wearing a pair of electric blue spandex shorts that were profiling his body VERY nicely. He also had on a pair of black sneakers and was wearing his bandana, which was soaked through with sweat. He also had on his necklace and earring. I eased into the gym and came over to his side. He was massaging his tail where the weights must have crashed down onto it.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Vitani? Huh? I could have sliced my damn tail off!"

"I was just wanting to say hi, is all. You didn't have to bite my head off!" I snapped back. He let his tail go and stood to face me. He towered over me like Camrath did and he was near enough to me now that I could make out every line and curve of his very well defined body. The heat from his workout radiated off of him.

"I'm sorry," he gruffed, "I don't like being surprised, that's all." He turned away from me and that only served to aggravate me even more.

"Don't you turn away from me, Ugumu! I was on my way to the Boudoir when I passed the gym. I saw you inside and thought I'd see if you would help me with something!"

"And what if I don't want to?"

"Damn it! You're as bad as Camrath! I've trained with you both side by side for the last two years and I don't know either of you any better now than I did then! I mean, I figured once I got into this hellhole, that friends would be few and far between enough as it is. I was at least hoping I could count on one of the two people I've worked closest with if I ever needed them!"

"Sorry, hon. In case you've forgotten, this is Pride One. Folks live and die by one lion's commands in this place and the sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be."

"Ugumu, please. All I want is to be your friend. Please don't shut me out of your life." He didn't say anything for several seconds and turned away from me again. Thinking he had had enough of me, I turned to go. I didn't have any desire to keep Katty-Lynn waiting.

"See ya 'round, Uggy," I said.

"Vitani, wait," he said, his voice a soft whisper. I turned around and saw him standing near me. His features had softened considerably and I could see the wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead. In the last two years, his hair had grown long and he always kept it tied back into a ponytail. His bangs still hung down in his face and there was more gray in them than had been previously. Absently I found myself flicking his bangs back off his forehead. Emerald fire gazed at me from the liquid pools that were his eyes.

"Open yourself to me Ugumu. Please?"

"All right. But forgive me for being skeptical if I ask you if you're really interested in me or are you just after something?"

"Ugumu, I don't make friends easily and I was hoping I could count you among them."

"Oh."

"That and I was hoping that you could tell me what you know about Camrath."

"I knew there was a catch."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not just using you to get to Cam. I guess…I guess…"

"Yes," he said with a slightly teasing tone in his voice.

"Oh, all right. I'll spill. I've got it bad for Camrath, really bad. He's built like a god and if his innuendoes are any measure, he could put me through a set of sexual gymnastics that are unmatched in the Pride Lands. I've also seen his business side and more than once I've gotten the sharp edge of his tongue during training. It's taken me a while to learn not to take it personally because I know he didn't mean it that way. Geez, I've gotten the rough edge of your tongue, too, Uggy. With Cam there just seems to be a wall that I can't breach. Will you help me?"

Ugumu's intense eyes studied me for several seconds and he didn't utter a single word. It seemed as though he were drinking in my frame as though trying to burn an image of me into his memory. I looked down ready to give up and walk away. Ugumu's chest was very well defined, as his chest muscle groups seemed to strain at his flesh crying for release. I stopped at his midsection. The spandex left precious little to the imagination. Uggy may not have been aroused like I'd seen Camrath, but in sheer size of his masculinity, he ran a very close second if not dead even to him. What in the Great Kings had I gotten myself into? Were all the guys in this joint all well-hung studs with bodies like gods? Ugumu finally spoke, "'Tani, darling, I've been a member of the Pride since the days of King Ahadi. In fact, it was one of his pride that founded Pride One after a nasty incident involving some hyenas, but they never came out and said what the deal was."

"You've been in here THAT long?" I gawped in sheer disbelief. 

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" he snapped.

"Sorry, go on."

"Anyway, I've been in the joint a hell of a long time. Camrath was 'recruited' shall we say, a few years after that. He came in just before King Mufasa passed on. In fact, if it hadn't been for his help, Op-Paw-rations, Katty-Lynn, and the rest of us would have been put to death when King Scar held the throne."

"What was up there?"

"Scar feared EVERYONE; he was even afraid of his own shadow."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I don't have to tell you how that ended."

"No," I stated flatly, "No, you don't."

"Besides, who do you think was responsible for sending Rafiki to the jungle to bring Simba home again?"

"It was you guys?" I squawked.

"Yeah. You'll never hear Op-Paw-Rations admit to this, but there's an old Siberian tiger mystic who's holed himself up in a baobab like Rafiki does and who had vague visions about Simba's return. White Tyger, that's our resident mystic's name, was paid a visit by Rafiki after he himself had had a vision one afternoon of Simba's return. They wracked their brains for a few hours and the next thing anyone knew, Simba was king."

"I guess it's true what they say then."

"And that would be?"

"You can't escape Pride One."

"No, you can't. Anyway, Camrath has proved himself an able operative. Oh, he was uncooperative at first and I was sure he wouldn't last a week. They did their best to break his spirit and they finally did. He went through his two years of training and rapidly rose in the ranks to become a level five operative."

"What did he do that landed him in Pride One anyhow?"

"He was accused of murdering his king."

"Did he?" I was speechless.

"There is a neighboring pride north of the Pride Lands and Camrath was the captain of the guard. He chose the uniforms that his guards wore and he held a high degree of power. He preferred all black and so that's what they wore. He was beyond reproach or question. And he was always, and I mean always, seen wearing his jet-black aviator's shades, regardless of the time of day. He prized honor and integrity above all else and performed his duties with dispatch. He'd brave terrors that would turn even a king to mush on his throne and when off duty he could always be seen sporting his trademark black Stetson and black trench coat those black jeans that were about two sizes too small for him. He'd frequent the clubs on his off hours and he didn't take any crap from anyone. After he was drafted into the joint, we would spend hours talking about his life before he was a guard and whatnot. You wouldn't believe what the holy terror he was as a kid. He ran around with the wrong crowd, staying till all hours of the night and worrying his poor mother, literally, to death. He once told me that he'd wear dark eyeliner and go around giving moon-eyed stares to people and chanting, 'Spleen! Spleen! Spleen!,' just to gauge their reactions. And he would also take the damnedest dares just to prove he wasn't afraid of anything. His mother couldn't control him and he could always be seen being dragged home by the guard almost every night. He would vandalize property and terrorize folks. He never let on, but I think he had a bad home life. He did, however, let it slip once that his mother had a new boyfriend practically every week and being forced to live with the moans and cries of passion coming from her bedroom didn't help. He was into death metal music and his favorite outfit was a black t-shirt and jeans and the t-shirt had writing on it in red that looked like someone had painted the slogan in blood and it said 'I'm dead and you're next.' He got to the point where he could run circles around the guards and he and his friend had folks terrified of them. He said that's how he earned the nickname of 'Gothlion' and he's been stuck with it ever since. He said his king personally extended to him the invitation to become the captain of his personal guard. He told me the king reasoned that anyone who could scare people into line like that ought to actually use it to make something of themselves. He managed to turn his life around and proved to be very good and loyal to his king, who treated him like an adopted son. However, someone must have taken one hell of a disliking to him because the next thing he knows; he's stripped of all his power and authority on trumped up charges of regicide."

"But he didn't kill his king?" I asked.

"No, no, he didn't. I mean his service record speaks for itself. What call would a lion with an impeccable service record like that have for murdering his king?"

"Oh," was all I could manage.

"He was innocent, but the team of guards he built turned on him and they bound him in chains and marched him before his fellow pridesmen while they all took turns beating him severely. People leered at him and spat at him and he just walked along, holding his head high. It was during the course of these events that he lost his right eye. After it was over, he was thrown in a cell to die, but Camrath was too blessed tough to just keel over dead. They left him in his cell for a week. The torture sessions were rigorous and they left him weak and drained. The bastards responsible for his torture would cut chevron patterns into the insides of his upper arms and watch as his life's blood would just trickle away. They would also just take turns beating his face and body to pulp as he hung suspended from chains in the wall. At the end of that week he was to be put to death for the murder of his king and the torture sessions always took him to the brink of death and no more. They upped the day of the execution after one session, he managed to find his strength and rip the chains that bound him from their moorings in the cell walls. The guards were frightened by this sudden display of power and one unfortunate was not so lucky. Camrath grabbed the son-of-a-bitch in his paws and as a form of revenge, he wrapped the chains around the guard's neck and strangled him to the point of blacking out and then snapped his neck with his bare paws. The night before the new date of execution, he got recruited. Pride One told him that they knew the charges were false but that they couldn't help that. They did say that if he came to work for them he wouldn't have to worry about his fate. And, of course, there was always the other option."

"And that was?"

"Stay and take the punishment for a crime he didn't commit."

"Uggy, do you think I'm crazy for wanting him?"

"Well, since he's been in Pride One, he's always had girls aplenty chasing after him. He appears to show them some attention and then forget about them."

"So, I've got about a snowball's chance in hell, huh?"

"Well, the break room has enough gossip to light up like a telephone switchboard at Christmas about it, but I've gotten to know Camrath and he seems every bit the gentleman and very honorable despite his joking around."

"Is he seeing anyone now?"

"No, he isn't."

"Then I've got a chance," I said feeling my hopes rise.

"Vitani; be careful. I won't lie to you. Camrath's a great guy and no, he isn't seeing anyone presently, but he does have his one first love, so to speak." I felt my spirits sink again, "Oh, and who would that be?" I asked.

"Pride One," Ugumu said simply. 

"Uggy, you've known him for a long time, but he doesn't seem the type to willingly give up any information about himself. How do you know all these things?"

"Who do you think Op-Paw-Rations sent to recruit Camrath in the first place?"

"You?"

"Bingo."

Ugumu then spent the next few minutes explaining to me how he had come to land in the joint. He had been a wanderer and was fiercely protective of what he considered "his." His belongings were few and he did what he could to hole himself away from the rest of civilization. He had left his family in search of something but he wasn't exactly sure what that "something" was. He had been drafted after suffering a rash of attempts to invade his privacy in a cave he found when a bomb he rigged that was designed to scare folks away backfired and an innocent government official was killed in the ensuing rockslide. As far as his searching went, he figured he'd know what it was he was looking for if he ever found it. Before he was drafted, he'd had a string of relationships but still had not found himself a mate and time was not on his side; a fact that he was made painfully aware of every time he saw me. That's why he was grumpy so often. The up side to all of this was that he was finally letting me inside his shell and really opening up to me. Would Camrath do the same? Just then Katty-Lynn's voice came over the P.A. system, "Vitani; report to the Boudoir immediately." Her voice had an edge to it. I wondered when was the last time she had a good roll in the pampas grass. I turned to leave but before I did, I took Ugumu's paw in mine and felt a tingle shoot up my arm. I reached up and kissed him on his cheek. What happened next nearly dropped me where I was standing. As I watched, the gray in his bangs deepened to jet-black and the lines and wrinkles on his face and forehead vanished completely. He seemed ten years younger.

"What the hell?!?" I stared, open-mouthed.

"I can't explain it," he said his voice sounding richer and more full and losing its gruff tone, "Whenever I have close intimate contact with another person, that happens."

"Ugumu, you look years younger. You're really very handsome. Not that you weren't already handsome, but, well, wow!"

"Yeah, but if only it would last. After a few minutes it fades." The P.A. came on again and Katty-Lynn paged me again. Her voice sounded like claws across a chalkboard.

"Well," he sighed, "you'd better go before the queen bee herself comes down to haul you away." I turned to leave and said, "Thanks for talking to me, Uggy. You're the greatest."

"Sure thing, sugar." I turned and left and only later did I find out that when I was gone, he said to himself, "You're not so bad yourself."

  
  
  
  


After my little visit to the Boudoir, I was convinced that in her life before Pride One, if she actually managed to have one, Katty-Lynn had been the madam of a whorehouse somewhere. The first outfit that she had me try on made me look like an elephant had bled to death all over me. I like red, but a red dress, with rouge and red eye shadow was just too much. I looked like a she demon from the nether most regions of hell. When that looked failed, Katty-Lynn went for the 'Brunhilda-the-Valkyrie' look. It was the first time in years that I'd worn braids. The breastplate and metal skirt clashed with my complexion, too.

"I AM the Iron Maiden," I growled, hooting with laughter. However, if during the course of dinner, Camrath found himself with a case of wandering paws, then I wanted him to be able to get to his intended prize instead of keeping him from it. Katty-Lynn FINALLY scored a hit when she had this cute little black number brought out next. It was suede leather with spaghetti straps that looped over my shoulders. There were genuine diamond studs down the right-hand side that were nested among florettes made of black silk. I had pale hose that gave a sheen to my legs and there were matching stiletto heels that had straps that fastened just above my ankles. My hair was rearranged into a French Twist but I kept the ringlets down either side. Standing back to admire her handiwork, Katty-Lynn gave an approving nod."

"Ooh! I am a sexy bitch!" I growled seductively at my reflection.

  
  


When I was finished in The Boudoir, I headed back into the main hall. Camrath wasn't anywhere to be seen. In fact, hardly anyone was present. Systems was just about empty and Brian's group were busy sorting out the info that was flooding in from outside. It looked like Pride One had just about been abandoned. I looked over at Ordnance and except for one of Ugumu's staff, it too, was dead. I was wondering what the rest of the team was up to. I heard footsteps in the distance and looked up to see Timmy and Netolu dressed like they were ready for a night on the town. Timmy had on a pair of jeans and a stark white tee shirt. He also had on a studded choker collar and a cool pair of shades. His head fur had blond streaks in it and he looked good enough to eat. Netolu, on the other hand, had on a silk shirt in deep burgundy with a mandarin collar and a vest that matched the rest of his three-piece suit.

"Where are you guys headed?" I asked, intrigued.

"Netolu here seems to think I need help landing a date. Obviously, he's never seen this wolf on the prowl," Timmy said with a slight grin.

"I keep trying to tell him that landing a date is the ultimate test of diplomacy. We shall see who gets lucky and brings home a lady tonight!" He then burst into song, "Oh luck be a lady tonight!"

"You'll see. This little gray wolf is gonna howl tonight!"

"Well, guys, have fun. Camrath's taking me out to dinner to celebrate my passing the trials."

I sighed and blew out my breath in a big puff. The P.A. activated and Camrath's soft purring brogue came over the system, "Vitani, report to the motor pool." I gathered up the stole that Katty-Lynn had given me and I checked the interactive wall map to find the route to the motor pool. I kept wondering why Cam didn't come and get me and escort me down to the limo. Moments later, I arrived in the motor pool. It was a glaring huge type of garage that was the size of a fluff-ball stadium. There were several cars, about half a dozen of which were limousines. Several feet away, just off to my right, I could see someone bent over one and tinkering in the guts of the car and grunting. The guy's tail was swaying in the breeze and his tight butt was starting to sway like his tail. Either he needed to visit the john really bad or he was really into whatever it was he was humming. I turned to see if there was any sign of Camrath. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. I turned and leaned against the wall. Getting restless, I glanced at my watch, and started to toy with the ringlets in my hair. I thought that I heard footsteps and was about to turn to see if it was Cam when I felt a large and rough paw with hard claws grab my ass. I damn near went ballistic.

"WHAT IN THE HELL!!!…" I shouted. I spun around to see the mechanic who'd been digging in the guts of the limo. He had on a pair of tan coveralls that was unzipped down the front almost to his belly button. His chest fur was poking through and his coveralls clung to him like a second skin. He had shades covering his eyes and various fluid stains covered his outfit. He was a lion, but his mane was shaved very close to his head. He spoke in a gritty mechanic's voice, "You know, after a day spent servicing all these cars, I could use some 'servicing' myself. You wanna give me a quick 'diagnostic'?" I read his name badge.

"OK, um, Rineward," when I said that, he grimaced, "You obviously like taking your life into your own paws. I've de-clawed guys for less than that." Suddenly producing an oil measuring stick out of nowhere he pointed to it and said, "See, I'm about a quart low. Like I said, I could use some service myself." Yeah, I said to myself, you're about a quart low on common sense. He sounded gruff when he responded to me a second time, "Oh, and by the way, it's Wardy, not Rineward, and if there's a pretty ass to grab, I'll grab it." He started to press his body towards mine. Not wanting to look like I'd been dumped in a vat of motor oil, I extended my claws, reached down and grabbed Wardy's crotch. He, too, was packing. Squeezing lightly, I growled softly, "If you value the family jewels, Wardy, you'll lay off really quick like." I felt him press into my paw.

"Other members of the female persuasion have tried, darling, and you're no different."

"Care to test that theory?" Before we could continue, a soft 'ahem' broke our verbal sparring match. Camrath came in dressed in an all black suit looking better than ought to be allowed and behind him was Afriti who was in a pair of bell-bottomed slacks and a gray turtleneck sweater with short sleeves. I could have sworn that I heard Cam chuckling slightly as he said, "So, I see you two have met. Vitani, this is Wardy, Head of the Pride One Motor Pool and chief mechanic. Wardy, this is Vitani. Today she completed her trials and is now a level two operative." Was it just my imagination or did Camrath sound like he was forcing his polite tone? Wardy peered out over his shades and said, "Sorry if I was too rough on you, Vitani," he was grinning from ear to ear, "but it's been a while since we had anyone with an IQ above two waltz in here; present company notwithstanding. I can't remember the last time I had a decent conversation with another living person." Assuming that he was complimenting me, I said, "Thanks, I think." 

"Well, if you guys are finished with the intros," Afriti added, "Can we go? I'm starving!" What was in that bag she was carrying; a feeding trough? We were going out to eat, so why did she bring that along?

"Afriti's right," Camrath reminded us, "Wardy get cleaned up. We need a driver."

"A driver? Him?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's also the chauffeur," Cam stated with a smile.

  
  
  
  


The drive through town was uneventful. Pride Rock stood dead center of it all, though separated by its massive surrounding grounds, and highlighted by floodlights strategically placed at every angle. Deep russets and golds painted the sky like a living canvas and I found myself wishing for home. Those carefree days seemed like they were centuries removed; ghosts from another time; another place. I thought of Kovu and wondered if he and Kiara had managed to have any cubs yet. I missed my baby brother and at that moment, I would have given anything to see him again. I glanced over at Afriti who had her nose buried in a "Physics of Time Travel" textbook. Come to find out, much to my surprise, that the kid had a doctorate degree in quantum physics; but that her real passion lay in hoping to be a computer animator for a large movie firm. That was until Pride One had gotten their paws on her. She had some headphones plunked down over her ears and seemed happily oblivious to the rest of the world. Camrath sat opposite to me and he had his good eye closed. His mane was tied back in a ponytail again and it was slung over his left shoulder. His tail twitched lazily and I thought for sure he'd fallen asleep. Wardy drove on, also silent and I returned my gaze to the scene out the window. Indigo had started to caress the sky now and I realized I didn't really feel much like eating. I wanted some action, some excitement. Hell, I'd have killed for a half-decent romance, but the one person my heart was telling me it wanted, didn't even know, or so I suspected, I was alive. A chilling coldness was creeping into my soul like the dancers in a chorus line and that irritated the fur off me; that, and the fact that my underdrawers were giving me the granddaddy of all wedgies. I checked my makeup in my compact and went back to staring out the window. I felt something brush up against my leg and looked down to see Camrath's tail rubbing up against it. He was staring at me with his solitary amber eye and could have been carved from stone; he was so still. Without me asking him to, he came over and squeezed himself in between me and Afriti, which caused her to squeal in protest. I didn't turn to face him, but the reflection in the window indicated that he was staring straight ahead.

"Penny for your thoughts," he purred.

"Sorry, Camrath," I replied, "Given my current asking price, I don't think you could afford it."

"Try me," he whispered. His voice didn't seem to have its usual playful, mocking tone or its erotic purr. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I told him what was bothering me.

"It's Kovu. I'll never see him again. I didn't realize how much I missed him until just a moment ago and I just wonder how life's treated him the last couple of years. I wonder if I'm an aunt now?"

"If that's the case, you'll be glad to know that Kiara gave birth to a son, M'Dume." My heart leapt when I heard the news. Without realizing what I was doing, I was surprised to find my paw caressing my belly.

"That's great, Camrath! When was he born? Is there any way at all that I could see him?"

"I'm afraid not," there was a hint of regret in his voice, "You know the policy. You're dead to the outside world, now."

"I know. It's just that…" I trailed off as my stomach started to churn.

"What," he asked in that same soft whisper. My stomach was really rumbling now and I felt slightly nauseous.

"I…oh, man. I think I'm gonna barf."

"Do you need a sickness bag?"

"Yeah, pass me one, would ya?" He reached over to the limo's built in wet bar and handed me a small paper bag.

"Oh, geez. Here it comes," I moaned, "I…"

FWAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!

Camrath wrinkled his nose and moved back over to the other side of the limo. Afriti slid out of her headphones and laid down the textbook and said with a completely straight face, "OK. At dinner, please stay away from the bourbon chicken and the bean dip and I think for added safety, we'll be sitting in the non-smoking section."

  
  
  
  


The place they took me was a really ritzy joint called "The Lion's Den" that had a live cabaret act. There were large imported potted plants that were arranged to shade the tables and each table's centerpiece had aromatic candles in them. The atmosphere was too rich for my blood; that much was certain.

Afriti ordered a huge old cheeseburger with all the trimmings and a large chocolate shake. Camrath had a light salad of various mixed greens as an appetizer and for his main course he had a steak seasoned with peppercorns and a vegetable medley. I settled on a filet of grilled mahi mahi and rice pilaf. When our meals were served, we all raised our glasses in a toast and sat back to what I was sure to be a pleasant evening…or so I thought.

"Katty-Lynn has taught you well, Vitani." I hadn't thought much about the last two years that I'd spent in training. I realized suddenly that Camrath was right and that thought caused me to smile. I looked around me at the other patrons in the restaurant. I took a deep breath and felt free, which I hadn't felt in a long time.

We finished our meals and sat sipping our wine. Afriti was busy, however, stuffing her face with a heaping helping of hot fudge cake with a serving of ice cream between the two cake slices. Thick fingers of liquid fudge ran over the top and sides and a cherry sat perched atop a small mountain of whipped cream. Camrath swirled his wine in his glass and looked over at me.

"I'll say it again, Katty-Lynn has taught you well," he purred.

"Thank you," was all I could manage. I was starting to feel really good. I had done it. I was trained; I was ready to go out and kick some butt; I felt like I ruled the world. Camrath sat his wine glass down and I noticed that Afriti had finished her cake and was staring over at us. Cam picked up a small box that was elegantly gift-wrapped. It had a deep burgundy velvet ribbon that had gold thread at its edges. The wrapping paper was gold and with trembling claws, I carefully undid the bow and the paper. The gold foil wrap crinkled and after a few seconds, I got tired of trying to handle the paper gently and tore in with my claws. Inside was a very beautiful wooden box that had an engraved plaque on the lid that read, "For Vitani."

"C'mon, Vitani! Open it!" Afriti urged. My claws were trembling. I fingered the catch and slowly lifted the lid. As I lifted the lid, I could see a lining of crimson silk. My heart was pounding with anticipation. Could it be? Without even daring to hope it was so, was Camrath proposing marriage? I opened the lid of the box the rest of the way.

  
  


My smile quickly evaporated like a dense fog in summer heat.

  
  


I looked back up at Camrath trying to make some sense of what was going on. Was this some kind of a sick joke? Camrath was just staring at me intently and even Afriti had put down her fork for a moment. I started to stammer, "What is this!?" In a quiet tone that had his erotic purr, Camrath spoke to me with a tone that held deadly earnestness in it.

"The lion behind me in the cheap leisure suit at the next table is Graham "Scar" Auld. He has a PDA in the briefcase. You need to obtain the unit and when you do, do not leave through the main entrance. There is a window in the ladies' room that leads to an alley behind the restaurant where the car will be waiting. If you don't mind, please wait until Afriti and I leave. She has a small bag with some disguises to help you in your task. You have fifteen minutes. If, at the end of fifteen minutes, you have not completed the assignment, the car will leave without you." My head was swimming. I couldn't speak a word and I thought my throat was gonna close up. Afriti and Camrath then glided effortlessly out of the restaurant with Afriti's shrill voice asking a bunch of questions that weren't getting answered. I felt a deep hatred beginning to churn inside my gut as my heart silently bled to death inside of me. I wonder now, if there wasn't something about the atmosphere of the place, because my eyes had started watering really badly.

  
  


After a few moments, I allowed myself a small cry, and took a deep breath. I steeled myself for the brouhaha that was coming like an approaching thunderstorm. I took the .44 automatic and the checked the magazine. It was loaded. Paws trembling, I loaded the spare magazine into my ample cleavage. I thought a disguise might be a good idea, so I started to dig around inside of Afriti's big bag of tricks. If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn that the bag was bigger inside than out. I scrounged around, almost swallowing myself up to my waist. After a few minutes, I found a head chef's outfit. Ducking behind a large imported potted palm, I quickly underwent the change. No, no you imbeciles, not THAT change! I changed into the outfit! Sheesh! Anyway, I hid my gun under my chef's hat and sauntered over to Graham's table.

He had a handsome face that, if he hadn't slicked back his mane and had gotten rid of the heavy Goth eye makeup. His cheap leisure suit was a navy-blue color with white pin stripes and a matching vest. His shirt was hot pink silk and the tie was navy-blue with white stripes. He eyed me as I approached and said with a voice that was slicker than motor oil, "Ah, chef! What are your specials this evening?" Faking an Italian accent, I said, "The steak is a-no good! I can't recommend the rhubarb and the toad has jumped out of de hole!" The two bimbos on either side of Graham kept on fawning over him and had on far too much jewelry for my liking.

"What would you suggest, then," he purred. In a flash, I pulled out my pistol and stuck it under his chin. He immediately turned into a bowl of Jell-O. I looked over to his bimbos.

"Beat it, girls," I growled. They scrammed. Turning back to Graham, I growled, "Open the briefcase."

"My men are all over the place. You'll be dead in seconds," he growled back.

"OPEN THE DAMNED BRIEFCASE!!" I yelled. Graham just stared at me defiantly. I shoved the muzzle of the gun further into his chin and cocked the hammer manually. I heard him gulp and suddenly heard a wet tinkling noise. I looked down to see a yellow puddle on the floor. Fumbling with the catches on the briefcase, he opened it. I reached in and grabbed the PDA. Stashing it in my cleavage, I beat a hasty exit to the ladies' room. I heard Graham scream after me, "Get the bitch!" I found myself wanting to rip Camrath a new one for landing me in the middle of this mess.

  
  


"Wardy, what in hell did you think you were doing? You know the consequences of that kind of behavior!"

"Don't fake concern for my welfare, Gothlion. And by The Great Kings, don't pretend to hide behind the charter. Why don't you just admit that it's possible that Vitani likes me. You know you've got it for her, bad, too. If you didn't, you wouldn't be making such a damned fuss about it. You can say your interest is ONLY professional, but I know better!"

"You just keep the hell away from her!"

"Make me, Camrath! You don't have the balls!"

"I've got more balls than a sporting goods store and my bat's got a hell of a lot of wood in it; enough for an entire forest!"

Guys! GUYS! GUYS!!! If you're both finished hosing down the parking lot with testosterone, Vitani should be out in a few minutes, OK? She's gonna need us."

"You're right, Afriti. Wardy, we WILL continue this later."

"Bet on it." 

  
  
  
  


That lying son-of-a-bitch!! I thought to myself as I stood staring at the brick wall that was where the window in the ladies' room opened. What was I supposed to do now? I ran back through the doorway and turned left to head up the stairs to the door that led back out into the main dining room. I started to open the door when the bang of two guns being discharged caused me to backpedal for my life straight into the wall. I opened the door again after a moment and loosed off two shots without really aiming. Crawling on my belly, I crept back over to the table where Cam, Afriti and I had been eating. I put my back against the side of the bench where we had been sitting and took a couple of shaky breaths. A couple of patrons gave me crazy looks and I growled at them. I looked towards the stage and noticed that they were doing selected musical numbers from the hit film, Meet Me in St. Louis. They were getting ready to do "The Trolley Song" number and I figured I could hide in the ensemble that was singing. I had a pretty good singing voice and I dug through Afriti's bag and found a nice blue tartan skirt and gloves, a black velvet coat, and white blouse with a bow. There was also a longhaired auburn wig that fit down over my hair. Looking around to see if I was in danger of being spotted, I noticed several of Graham's thugs moving as discreetly as possible through the restaurant like a police officer investigating a train wreck. With my new costume in hand, I ducked and ran backstage. I was looking for a place to make a quick change when I noticed one of the goons approaching from the other end of the hall. I noticed the star's dressing room and ducked inside. The tigress who must have been the star of the "The Trolley Song" number didn't get two words out before a karate chop to the back of the neck put her out. Also, her costume was exactly like what I had in my arms. Taking the chef's uniform and chucking it, I quickly slipped into the rest of the costume. I quickly adjusted the wig, tied the tigress up and stuffed her in the tiny closet and headed towards the stage, passing Graham's goon in the process. As he came nearer, I noticed he was a tall tiger who was ripped with muscles. Putting a paw on my shoulder, he stopped me and growled, "Hey, lady! You seen a bitch of a chef? I thought I saw her come this way!"

"I'm afraid not, big boy," I trilled in my most seductive tone and I fluttered my eyelids at him. He stared at me for just a moment and I was sure I was dead meat. Just then the music started for the number and I said, "Excuse me, handsome, but they're expecting me on stage." I hurried towards the trolley prop and hoped to the Great Kings that I could remember the words. As the ensemble began singing I climbed up onto the trolley prop and figured I'd get into position to sing (I really liked the movie and had seen it dozens of times!) and kept panning the audience for any sign of Graham's goons. I didn't see any sign of them in the audience and I didn't see the big tiger stud anywhere nearby either. Climbing to the top of the trolley, I moved forward to the end that overlooked the audience, all the while looking for any sign that I was in trouble. It was then that it hit me that maybe putting myself in the spotlight in full view of everyone may not have been such a hot idea after all. I was about to try to get down off the trolley when the music swelled and the chorus sang the last line before I was to start the solo. Suddenly it was all coming back to me as the chorus finished up singing,

"…Time to fall went my heartstrings, as we got off at Huntington Park; as we got off at Huntington Park!"

"Hey! Look who's coming!" Just as in the movie I looked back to see the actor portraying John Truitt chasing the trolley. It wasn't the actor it should have been, but the big stud of a tiger that'd stopped me backstage. He must have figured out who I was because he was also in costume and he'd be on the trolley shortly. I cast several glances around. I was trapped! At least I had a shield of bodies to protect me. The music swelled again and I almost missed my cue.

  
  


"With my high starched collar 

and my high topped shoes

and my hair piled high upon my head.

I went to lose a jolly hour on the trolley

And lost my heart instead."

  
  


"With his light brown derby 

and his bright green tie, 

he was quite the handsomest of men.

I started to yen,

so I counted to ten.

And then I counted to ten again."

  
  


There was a few seconds of just music when I felt myself slip fully into the role. My voice, a little rusty at first, was full of vigor and my alto was ready to go. I started singing the chorus,

  
  


"Clang, clang, clang went the trolley.

Ding, ding, ding, went the bell.

Zing, zing, zing, went my heartstrings.

From the moment I saw him, 

I fell."

  
  


"Chug, chug, chug went the motor.

Bump, bump, bump went the brake.

Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings.

When he smiled I could feel the car shake." 

  
  


The chorus then sang the voiceover clang three times. I continued, 

  
  


"He tipped his hat;

and took a seat.

He said he hoped he hadn't

Stepped upon my feet.

He asked my name;

I held my breath.

I couldn't speak because

He scared me half to death."

  
  


Here, one of the ensemble called out, "Hiya, Johnny!" just like in the movie and I looked up to see the tiger slowly making his way towards the front of the trolley. I started my next line. I was in full swing and managing to have a blast, despite the fact that I'd probably be Graham's personal lion fodder for tomorrow morning's breakfast.

"Chug, chug, chug went the motor.

Plop, plop, plop went the wheels.

Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings.

As he started to go, 

then I started to know how it feels

when the universe reels."

  
  


The rest of the ensemble started singing their chorus as I mock-directed them. Casting a glance out to the audience, I noticed Graham motioning several of his goons from separate vantage points in the restaurant to converge on the stage. They probably found me due to the fact that the spotlight had been on me the whole time. Oh well, I asked for it.

  
  


"The day was bright.

The air was sweet.

The smell of honeysuckle

charmed you off your feet.

You tried to sing, but couldn't squeak.

In fact, you loved him so,

you couldn't even speak!"

  
  


I was in the home stretch now with the final verse.

  
  


"Buzz, buzz , buzz went the buzzer.

Plop, plop, plop went the wheels.

Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings.

As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve

with my hand.

And as if it were planned,

he stayed on with me

and it was grand just to stand

with his hand holding mine…

To the end of the line!"

  
  


The ensemble finished at the same time with "Clang! Clang! Clang went the trolley…Zing, zing, zing…went my heart…Heart!"

  
  


The tiger was just inches away when the audience burst into applause like a sudden summer thunderstorm. We all climbed down to take a bow and the audience kept heaping on the cheers. The spotlight then centered on me and I stepped forward and took another bow. The applause grew to its loudest yet. I just bowed two or three more times, blowing kisses to the audience. Why hadn't I trained as an actress instead? There was a small runway on the stage with stairs at the end. I stepped down on the main floor of the restaurant and I noticed one of Graham's goons starting towards me and he pulled out his gun just enough for me to see the handle. What was I gonna do now? I was coming down off the high from the performance and the adrenaline in my system and the fear I was feeling made me unbelievably edgy. I was exposed and terrified and trapped like a rat in a cage. I just happened to notice that at a table nearby a couple were eating and an idea occurred to me. At the top of my lungs, over the applause I announced, "Ladies and gentlefurs, for an encore, I'd like to announce a," I paused for a brief second before I bellowed at the top of my lungs, "FOODFIGHT!!!" Moving like quicksilver, I scooped up some garlic mashed potatoes and hurled them sidearm at the thug coming straight at me. The garlic scented wad hit him full in the face and knocked him flat on his ass. Hiking up my skirt, I dashed towards the kitchen as all over the restaurant, the food began to fly.

  
  
  
  


Slipping on the food that was covering the floor, I slid into the kitchen and collided with the counter. I heard two shots echo out and I went down on my belly. I scrambled past a large steel fridge and hid behind it. My breathing was hard and labored and as the realization of the danger I was in began to really set in, my legs began to wobble badly. I started to shake so bad I could barely hold onto the pistol in my grasp. Taking a deep breath, I ventured a peak around the edge of the fridge and almost got my nose blasted off. I pulled back, my eyes squeezed shut, and I began to count backwards from five. When I reached one, I rolled out onto my belly and into the enemy line of fire. I loosed two shots. One blew a hole in a steam pipe scalding one of the thugs and another knocked a fluorescent lighting fixture loose braining yet another thug. Using the time that bought me, I scooted on my rear to the end of the counter and quickly ducked behind it. I could hear more of the goons coming in and I readied myself to let off another round of shots. The gang kept on coming and I peaked over the counter. I took a split second to aim…

BANG!

As if watching a slow-motion scene from a movie, the bullet caught one guy square in the forehead. I was shocked for just a moment. I had just killed my first enemy. I thought I was gonna puke. I squeezed the trigger again to discover that the cartridge was empty and ducked back out of sight to change it and just did miss getting a mohawk from a spray of bullets from a machine gun. I fought with the backup cartridge to get it in the gun. It jammed. Tossing the now useless weapon aside, I reached up to pull down anything off the counter that I could use in my defense. I was surprised to see that I had come away with a tin pie plate. Taking a deep breath, I jumped up and whooped out a war cry of, "Ayayayayayaiii!!" like Xira, Warrior Lioness (This hit TV series was popular in the Pride Lands and was one of Rindi's better ideas. Rumor has it he changed to spelling from a "Z" to and "X" to avoid copyright infringement). I let the pie plate fly. It ricocheted off the walls, the fridge, and took out three more thugs. How many more were there?, I thought to myself. The pie plate returned and I stared with shock at the plate in my hand as I had caught it with practiced ease. The gang of goons had stopped firing and I noticed them setting up a bazooka. Now what was I gonna do? If they let that thing off with me where I was, I was sure I could look forward to stewing for eternity in another kind of kitchen. Frantically I looked around me when I noticed what I thought was a garbage chute. I looked back at Graham's group of thugs. The guy with the bazooka was aiming. Deciding it was now or never, I dashed towards the chute. I heard a loud "WHOOSH!" as the weapon fired. At the last second I slid down the chute and felt the heat of a dozen suns down my legs as the weapon exploded against the wall. I slid down the chute, through a trap down and landed in a heap in a garbage can. I checked to make sure that the PDA was still in place as well as my dud pistol that I had scooped up in my mad dash. I climbed out of the garbage can, found the back door of the joint, and limped towards the parking lot.

  
  
  
  


A thousand different emotions vied for dominance in my mind, but anger was on the top of the list. Hell, I was beyond angry. I could have been killed!! My dress was in tatters and the wig half singed as I came upon Wardy, Camrath and Afriti talking loudly. Wardy noticed me and with a predatory smile, he ran his paw through his short mane and strode over to me. All I could see was red.

"Hey, Vitani," he purred, "light my fire!"

"LIGHT THIS!!" I bellowed and I brought my knee up between his legs--HARD.

"Ooowwwww!" he moaned painfully, "Mommy!" he squealed.

"I'll give you mommy," I shouted and with a quick right hook, I laid him out on the pavement. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Afriti cringe slightly. I then stormed towards Camrath.

"And you," I started, "Take your damned PDA! Here! Take your damned worthless pistol too!" I slung both instruments as hard as I could at Camrath's chest. They bounced off of him and he didn't so much as flinch. I turned and walked away.

"Vitani," he started. His voice was low with a warning edge to it.

"Don't start with me," I shouted back.

"Vitani! Get in the damned car!" Spinning around angrily I yelled, "Camrath! *BLEEP* you!!" (Editor's note: At Vitani's request, this exclamation has been censored)

"I'll see you back at Pride One!" I added almost as an afterthought. I heard Camrath growl, "Afriti, go after her. I'll gather up the grease jockey here and meet you back at headquarters." 

  
  


"Vitani! VITANI!!" I heard a shrill voice crying out after me. I was walking along the city streets and shot a look back to see Afriti chasing after me. She yelled out again, "Vitani!"

"Leave me alone, Afriti!" When I said that, a thunderclap split the air and I looked up and noticed that lightening was forking across the sky. A light rain had started to fall just seconds after that and quickly become a torrential downpour. My mascara started to run and I was soaked through.

"Figures I'd be all wet," I muttered under my breath.

"Vitani, wait up!"

"No! Did Camrath send you after me?"

"No! I mean, um, yeah, he did. But I figured you'd be able to calm down more if another girl were tagging along."

"So, you weren't in on the joke, huh?"

"No…"

"Then how do you explain the bag of tricks?"

"I always carry around a few disguises with me."

"And yet, you weren't in on the whole charade from the start?"

"'Tani, I swear. I didn't know until Camrath sprung the .44 on you at dinner. I promise."

"You promise," I emphasized the word promise.

"'Tani, we girls have to stick together.

"Oh, all right. Besides, I didn't want to hoof it all the way back to Pride One in the rain by myself.

  
  
  
  


As we were walking and getting wetter, if such a thing were possible, by the second, the limo pulled up beside us. Wardy seemed no worse for wear except for the huge black eye he was sporting where I decked him. Camrath just sat staring at me, but he never said a word. I stared out the window and no one said the first word the rest of the way back.

  
  
  
  


We were deposited near the entrance of Pride One where I saw Timon and Netolu walking up at the same time we arrived. There was a white female wolf with Timon and she had shoulder length brown hair. Around her neck was a spiked collar and she had on a plain white tee shirt and black jeans. I noticed that Timon was looking REALLY happy. Afriti went on inside and Camrath followed her.

"So, I take it that you got lucky, huh, Timmy? Introduce me to your lady friend." The female wolf spoke, "Just call me White Wolf. Everybody else does."

"Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise."

"So, uh, what interested you in Timmy?"

"Let's just say he knows how to make a girl howl. And he's just so darn cute." She smiled as she said this and started stroking Timmy's ears. He started grinning like he was in ecstasy and began thumping the ground with his right leg and a moment later, he let out a howl, "Aaarooooo!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"At least there's someone who knows how to control a man around here. White Wolf, how do you do it?"

"Girl, I learned along time ago, if it's got tires or testosterone, you're gonna have trouble with it. You just gotta know what turns him on and how to turn him off in a heartbeat."

"Sound advice," I said.

"Always comes in handy for me," she replied. I looked over to Netolu, who wasn't looking quite so happy.

"Gee, Netolu; couldn't you find anyone?"

"Must not have been my night," he gruffed.

"C'mon, Net. What's the problem?"

"Shall we say that as the master of diplomacy, I failed at the most diplomatic situation in the world."

"And that would be?"

"Landing a date. Oh well, it's Timmy's night to howl anyway." I could tell Netolu seemed really depressed and his baby blues twinkled sadly. Feeling bad for him, I gave him a peck on the cheek.

"You'll find her, Netolu. She's out there somewhere." He was staring at the heavens through a break in the clouds as he silently whispered, "She walks in beauty like the night…" Suddenly, all my pent up anger seemed to fade a little as I beheld my friend and mentor.

"Good night, Netolu," I said quietly.

"Good night, Vitani," he replied with a smile.

  
  
  
  


Camrath returned just a moment later and motioned me to come over to the still waiting limo. My anger had faded some; but not THAT much. I ignored him. Calling out to me, he said, "Vitani, please get in the car."

"What for?" I asked with an edge creeping back into my voice. I guessed he was just barely keeping his anger in check when he said to me, "Vitani, please just come." I pushed past him roughly and climbed into the car. The air conditioning inside chilled my wet fur and my teeth started to chatter. Camrath climbed in after me and the limo pulled back out into traffic and glided through town. I could feel the seat of the limo shift and I sensed Camrath sliding closer to me and felt the sensation of his paws suddenly resting on my shoulders. I shook him off angrily and shot over to the over side and I glared at him through half-closed lids and growled low in my throat. He looked away from me and out the window. At last the limo stopped outside an apartment building. I allowed Camrath to lead me inside and up a couple of flights of stairs to a door with the number "412" on it. Camrath opened the door and led me inside. I stood in the middle of the living space. There was an island-style cabinet to my left with a sink in it and a stovetop next to that. Beyond that was a kitchen table made of black glass. Sitting opposite that on the far right was a small flight of stairs that led to a bedroom and a bathroom. Adjacent to the dining table was a love seat and sofa in black leather and beyond them were a set of French doors with drapes on them in white. Heavier black velvet drapes hung to either side. I just looked around in surprise. Nice place, I thought. I felt Camrath move close to me again and he put his paws on my shoulders. I just shook him off and he was beginning to royally piss me off again.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed as I spun around to face him, my eyes flashing dangerously. My temper flared and I didn't even try to hold it back. I lashed out at Cam verbally, "You lied to me, you bastard! Why in the hell didn't you tell me that was a job! Is Pride One in the business of playing games with its operative's lives? Huh? I could have been killed and all you can do is just stand there and act like it's all a cute little game, while my ass is getting shot at! What did you do? Nothing! Not a damn thing! I hope you're happy! I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!" I swung back and moved to slap Camrath across his muzzle. With amazing dexterity, he caught my paw before it made contact and held me still with little effort as I struggled in vain against him.

"Let me go! Camrath! Let go of me!" My resolve crumbled at last I began to cry, but I didn't give a damn. Through my sobs I slurred, "You miserable bagiagaloop."

Acting like we had been having a casual chat, he said, "We had to see if you could improvise. Regardless of whatever state of mind you're in, you have to be able to perform."

"You don't want a person. You want a machine. I can't do that." I saw a smile pull at the edges of his mouth. After my little verbal barrage, I was floored. Did anything piss this guy off?

"Congratulations," he purred, "You already have." I turned my attention to other matters.

"Nice apartment," I said casually as I wiped a paw across my nose, "Is it yours?"

"No. It's yours. You've earned it." Camrath had moved closer to me and my body must have sensed it on some cosmic level or something as an urge was awakened in me. My heart was being wary and saying no, but my body was aching for his touch. Whether it was deliberate or unconscious on my part, I don't know, but the gap between us closed and the heat radiating from him warmed me and the scent of sandalwood enveloped me like a blanket. Lifting my chin with his paw, he tried to kiss me, but I looked away. I was struggling, but I didn't really want to.

"No, Camrath. Please, don't…..I…" 

"Look at me."

"No, I can't. Please. Don't make me."

"Vitani. Look at me." I resigned myself to his whispered command and looked into his face. He brought his lips to mine and this time, I didn't resist him. He stroked my face tenderly as his passionate kiss caused me to melt; his tongue caressing my mouth. I wanted to give myself to him and aching with desire, I felt the other half of my soul come sliding home.

  
  
  
  


Camrath left just a little while later, after he just held me in his arms while I sobbed on his chest for a few minutes and explaining to me that if anyone asked, I was between jobs and taking some time to figure things out. I had ID, credit cards, and a driver's license. He told me that my code name was Oxy-Clean.

"What the hell kind of name is that?"

"Don't know. Ask Katty-Lynn. It was her idea."

"Ah. So, what do I do now?"

"Wait."

"How long?"

"Maybe a day; a week; a month. Who knows?" I guess I must have seemed a little depressed as he came over and stroked my face with his paw again and smiled. Then he was gone. I looked around at my apartment again. I couldn't believe it. I'd arrived at last and managed to do it with style. I walked back over to the French doors that I had opened just a few moments earlier. Silver beams of liquid moonlight poured in and lit the floor. A light breeze stirred the air and I ran out onto the balcony of my new home and gazed out at the starlit beauty of the Pride Lands. What else could I do besides stare in wonder? I'd made it; at last.

  
  


The End--Part 4


End file.
